Our Business Deal
by SaberBelle
Summary: The Successor Challenge 2018. It has been four years since they have seen, spoken to, or been in contact with one another. When business calls, Rinoa returns to Balamb Garden to ask for help with a very important matter. It helps that she is able to see her friends, but how will he react when he sees her? Squinoa.
1. Part I

Shirts, socks, shoes.

Bathing suit, towel, toiletries, mobile charger.

Books, coloring pages, dresses.

Business proposal, charts, budgets and laser pointer.

Everything seemed to be there and perfectly laid out in the suitcase. The sun was barely rising into the sky and in the distance she could see the ship getting closer and closer to the tip of the island. She sighed.

Too many emotions. Too little time.

Rinoa zipped up her suitcase and propelled it off the bed gently and onto the ground. She wrapped her hand around the messenger bag before slinging it around her waist; she runs her fingers through her hair. It was quiet in the orphanage this early in the morning aside from the typical teething babe, which she could feel in her bones turning and tossing before letting out a gentle whine. Rinoa managed to roll her suitcase towards the back entrance prior to the stairs before the baby began to wail, and with a sigh she left her belongings there with the reassurance that they were safe.

There were several bassinets lined up against the newly painted and constructed walls, and Rinoa knew which one to go towards since only one bassinette was rocking gently with the babies cries. A small smile tugged at her lips as she loomed over the cradle; a small baby looked up to her with welled-up eyes and reached out their arms, only to be swept up by the sorceress that knew moments before it happened that this little guy was going to need some comfort.

Matron slept silently in the next room over as Rinoa rocked the baby. The baby still cried, shoving their hand in their mouth to soothe their sore gums. Padding herself into the small kitchen, Rinoa grabbed a frozen teether and handed it to the baby after rubbing the cold gel against their lips.

Silence and cooing began.

"They're here, you know," Rinoa turned around and saw Matron standing in the corner with a smile on her lips, "The babies will be fine with me. I've done this for many years, my dear."

Rinoa nodded, running her index finger across the baby's cheek. Matron continued, "We are going to get this deal, Rinoa. Just be aware of the emotions you will feel as you return to Balamb Garden."

The young sorceress remained silent, listening to her mentors kind words. It has been four years since she had been at Balamb Garden. Four years since she sat on the edge of that ocean on the sand, four years since she had seen her closest friends.

Four years since she had seen him. And for a moment it did not seem like four years was so long, but she knew it was and that she needed to go to make a better life for these children.

"We need the space," Rinoa whispered, looking down at the baby in her arms that slowly began to close it's green eyes. "We can't hold any more children."

"Which is why you, my dear, are going to get us that space. The space, the help," Matron sighed, "The money...we need it. They," Matron stepped closer to Rinoa and the baby, a gentle smile forming on her lips as she ran her fingertips over the top of the baby's peach fuzz, "need it. They need it more than us."

Rinoa gently handed over the baby to Matron and sighed, looking out to the sea. The ship was docking now, a young man getting off of the boat and waving to her. All the SeeD's at Balamb Garden knew who she was and Matron was, and that was no surprise. Rinoa felt as if she should be relieved to go back to a place she used to call home, but instead her emotions began to bubble at the surface. It was anxiety, nervousness, excitement and...fear. All of it bubbled together and made her shake on the inside.

"My dear," Matron placed her hand on Rinoa's forearm, gave it a gentle squeeze, "Be aware of your magic. Be aware of your heart and what it tells you. Yes, this is a business trip but it will also resurface a lot of -."

"A lot of hurt, guilt and anger?" Rinoa scoffed, "I know. I have been dreaming of it."

"So then you understand," Matron whispered, nodding, "it will all be okay."

Rinoa nodded and smiled at Matron, leaning down to kiss the baby's forehead before walking towards the beach. She grabbed her belongings, adjusted the messenger bag filled with business plans around her, and took one last look at the Orphanage behind her.

It was no surprise that it had been reconstructed. The building was no longer in shambles but was not two floors high with beautiful rock walls and indoor painting. Deep wood paneling lined the floors and the staircases were now level and sturdy. Within the walls ten small children resided and four babies, all of which without families to love and support them. They are brought to the orphanage to learn, love, and have support temporarily, and unfortunately Rinoa and Matron know too well that often times no one comes back for them.

"Miss Heartilly?" Rinoa stepped to the beach, her boot getting stuck in the soft sand around her. A SeeD cadet approached her and saluted, "I am Keegan and I will be traveling with you today. May I help you with your things?"

 _There isn't much to help with,_ Rinoa stated to herself but nodded in appreciation, letting go of her suitcase to allow Keegan to take hold of it. "Thank you Keegan."

"My pleasure, Miss Heartilly. We will be arriving at the city of Balamb around approximately eight in the morning. You may have breakfast on the ship…"

The young sorceress looked behind her as the young cadet spoke, looking at Matron who looked calm but Rinoa knew she was just as worried as she was. The building seemed so large from the outside and so small from the inside. It made absolutely no sense…

 _I am doing this for my children. For their future._

"Miss Heartilly? Are you ready to board?"

Rinoa snapped her head forward and smiled gently, "Yes, Keegan. Thank you very much."

"She's coming today! She's coming today! Irvie! She's coming today!"

Irvine looked up shocked from his phone, "The baby?! Are you in labor!?"

Selphie giggled, "No silly, Rinny! She's coming today! This little one," she looked down and rubbed her plump baby bump that protruded from her small frame, "Isn't coming fast enough."

A deep sigh emulated from Irvine's lips as he wiped his forehead. The small bead of stress-sweat was gone and he could finally relax. "Don't scare me like that, love."

"Sorry!" Selphie bounced, plopping down next to Irvine on their small love seat. "It has just been so long since we have seen her!"

The former cowboy, now without his hat, wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed her on the temple. He looked down at their baby in her stomach, feeling so much love from deep down in his own heart. A love he never knew he could have until Selphie told him nine months ago those two words, "I'm pregnant."

"It's been four years…" he trailed off, looking out the window across from them. "I wonder how Squally is holding up."

Selphie sighed, letting her arm drape across her belly. "Do we ever know?"

And there he stood looking outside of the large window in his office seemingly miles away from his friends. The top of Balamb Garden housed the young Commander of twenty-eight, standing straight with his arms folded across his chest. Squall watched as the ship rolled into the harbor of Balamb, the pit in his stomach growing more and more disturbed. The coffee only helped so much and if anything it made his jitters worse. He paced in front of the window, taking a deep breath before finally reaching for the coffee that has now turned cold.

Eight o'clock. Right on time.

This is the closest she has been to him in four years.

"Commander Leonhart…"

"Quistis," Squall snapped gently, "You know -."

"Skip the formalities, I know," Quistis sighed, approaching the commander cautiously. Her hair was no longer down her back, but now gently bobbed at her collarbone. She still held her frame high, her head steady, and walked with such a commanding presence that no one would know the depths of despair she had seen. "I just know this is going to be troublesome for you."

Quistis watched as Squall stared blankly out of the large window. Where Squall's office is currently is where Headmaster Cid's once was; where Squall received his SeeD ranking for the first time following the field assignment. It looked the same aside from the desk being ten times more messy.

"It's a business arrangement. Nothing else." Squall grumbled, taking a sip of his coffee with a grimace. "I don't see what is wrong with that."

"What I see wrong is I know you better than you give me credit for, as always," Quistis sighed, walking closer and leaning against the desk. Squall stood before her, his back to her. The blonde knew his eyes were watching for a shred of blue amidst the busy town, but also knew he would grow more and more frustrated the closer Rinoa walked towards the school. "You haven't seen her in four years. Everyone else has. It's going to be a big adjustment so you're going to keep your guard up ten fold."

 _I really do need to give her more credit,_ Squall says silently to himself before swallowing the rest of the murky coffee he had brewed at 12am.

Sleep was something that was hard for him to come by.

"I'll be fine," Squall finally turned around and looked Quistis in the eye. Quistis could see the lack of sleep represented in the purple beneath his eyes, the age has come to him faster than anyone else. Squall owned the lines on the corners of his eyes, the furrow lines between his brows, all down to the rugged stubble across his jaw. He no longer donned the leather jacket with white fur like he did years before, but instead wore his SeeD uniform while at work and jeans and a long sleeve shirt any other time. "But thank you."

Quistis smiled gently, keeping her palms face down on the desk. She watched Squall like a hawk while he sat down in the oversized chair and leant backwards. He looked at her once more, "...How different is she?"

The blonde thought to herself, wondering what exactly was different about Rinoa since Squall had last seen her. It was true, Rinoa had seen everyone but Squall. The friends would regularly see Rinoa but the past couple of months due to Selphie's pregnancy had been visit-less. The last time they had all seen each other were four months prior.

"She...has calmed down a lot," Quistis stated, looking out of the window herself, "She is still bright, very outgoing, but there is a calmness about her. Like the ocean." She stopped and thought. "She cut her hair."

"She what?" Squall asked, looking up at Quistis with big eyes. He always loved her hair and the way it twirled around her. Then, he thought, she had probably cut it just because he liked it.

"It's a tad shorter than mine, all black." Quistis answered, "Other than her calming down, she is exactly the same girl we knew when she was seventeen. She is amazing with the children at the orphanage. Some of them even called her mom."

A twinge of pain hit Squall in the stomach that emulated like a growl. He sighed and ran his thumb and index finger over his brows, "How long is she here for?"

"Six days. The business meeting is tomorrow at ten in the morning and then she should have her decision the next day. Following that is just her spending time with all of us before the baby comes," Quistis stopped, "Plus, I think she wants to be here for Selphie when Lola comes."

Squall nodded, "That would be like her. Well...the Rinoa I remember."

"Squall," Quistis whispered, reaching forward to place a supportive hand on his forearm. Squall welcomed it and looked at his life-long friend with eyes glazed over from a lack of sleep and frustration, "It will be okay. I know you're capable of feeling things that other people may not see, but everything will be okay."

The commander nodded and breathed in deeply before standing up, "Are you meeting her at the dock?"

Quistis shook her head and Squall raised an eyebrow, "She wanted to walk over alone. Keegan sent the radio over a few minutes ago. That's what I came to tell you."

And then Squall caught a glimpse of her in his peripheral vision. Rinoa stood clear as day on the other side of the window on the beach. She carried two bags with her and padded her way across the sand before putting her bags down and standing on the edge of the water. Quistis was right; her hair swept across her features a lot shorter than before without the flecks of blonde. She donned a baby blue blouse tucked into tight-fitting black trousers. Squall noticed the curve of her hips that was much different than what he remembered. He watched as she rose her hand to run her fingers through her hair.

He saw her turn around then and smile brightly as three figures walked towards her. Squall saw who could only be Zell running towards her and picking her up, before twirling the girl in a circle. Irvine and Selphie followed; Irvine with a tight hug and Selphie with as tight as she could manage with her baby belly in the way. Squall watched Rinoa run her hands over Selphie's stomach and giggle - her smile made his body run on adrenaline.

"I am going to go say hello. What you decide is up to you." Quistis stated. She stood up straight and walked out of the office, closing the door almost silently behind her.

Squall remained behind and watched from the tallest room in Garden. Within minutes Quistis's salmon cardigan could be seen from his office, walking quickly into Rinoa's arms with a friendly hug. Rinoa bounced on the heels of her boots, clasping her hands together in joy. She jumped in the air and he could hear her laugh when she opened her mouth.

The last time they spoke echoed in the back of his mind and tore his heart in two. The feeling in his stomach raised up through his chest and he suddenly had the urge to vomit. He sighed, turning his back on the window before seating himself at his desk.

" _You could do it if you just let me help you!"_

" _I can't be helped! Get that out of your thick head and realize that I will never change!"_

" _Then feel free to be on your own. I'm done with you."_

"Quisty!" Rinoa cheered, enveloping her old friend into a hug, "I missed you!"

Quistis chuckled, "I never thought I would hear that out of your mouth."

The sorceress bounced on the balls of her feet, twirled in a circle and laughed, "We are all together again! This is amazing!"

"I bet you ten gil Squall is watching from his office, sighing dramatically and pacing." Irvine stated, sitting beside his girlfriend in the sand. Selphie had removed her shoes and dug her feet into the sand, watching her friends bounce around much better than she.

Rinoa turned and looked up at the highest window in Garden knowing exactly where her Knight's office was placed. For a second she thought she saw him standing there with his arms crossed, but when she blinked he was gone from her sight. "You think he will come say hi?" She asked.

Quistis shrugged, "He was doing his thing when I went to tell him that you wanted some alone time when you got here. Not many words, as per usual." She watched Rinoa turn her back to the Garden, sighing before plopping in the sand beside Selphie.

"He will come out, definitely!" Zell cheered, nodding his head before standing promptly on the sand. He dug his arms into his hips and sighed deeply, "Hopefully. I mean, this isn't about you guys. This is the last time we will all be together before Lola decides to show up."

The group nodded and slightly chuckled before Rinoa placed her hand on Selphie's stomach, "You've been having pre-contractions, right?"

Selphie raised an eyebrow and looked at Rinoa with a perplexed expression, "How do you know that?"

"And why didn't you tell us?!" Zell roared.

"Sorceresses have a special aura that can sense the body's current state. Especially when it comes to children," Quistis explained, sitting beside Rinoa. Zell joined their line in the sand, seating himself next to Quistis. "It's why sorceresses are so good with children. They are able to empathetically feel the distress and identify what is wrong."

"Professor Trepe to the rescue," Rinoa smiled, rubbing her hand in a circular motion. "She's very healthy. And happy."

"So like," Zell began, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of Rinoa's face, "Can you know when she's coming?"

Rinoa laughed and shook her head, "I feel energies, auras, stuff like that. I'm not a fortune teller."

"Ah…" Zell sighed, leaning back. "That's a bummer."

The five of them set in solitude for a minute, looking out at the ocean. All of them felt the empty presence but dared not to say anything. Squall was missing - they all knew that - and it would not take a scientist to identify the stress that was on all of them. Squall and Rinoa were nearly the glue that held them all together. When they ended their relationship so suddenly, the remaining four had no idea what to do. They tried to put them back together, tried to mend the wounds and take back the words, but nothing worked. Rinoa and Squall both kept the terms they ended their relationship on private.

All the others knew was that they grew apart, had a fight, and were separated.

"...Will you ever tell us?" Selphie wondered aloud, looking in Rinoa's direction, "Why it ended?"

Rinoa sighed, putting her elbows on her bent knees in front of her, openly gazing out into the ocean, "It's private. And still very much an open wound."

Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine all nodded silently, their eyes fixated on the sun in front of them. Things were so much more different than they were four years ago.

Rinoa paced in her suite, looking at the papers sprawled in front of her. There were numbers, phrases, photos, and more staring at her in the face. She almost felt intimidated by the objects and stepped back, crossing her arms and sighing.

"You can do this, Rinoa," she said to herself, nodding, "These kids need the room," she began speaking louder, "They need the resources, they need the help. Hell...I need the help…"

Rinoa collapsed onto the floor and crossed her legs, looking at the papers that now were at a higher level than she. "I miss my kids…"

She kicked her legs out from beneath her and stretched them in front of her, "I miss…"

A knock sounded on the door behind her that made her jump. Rinoa jumped to her feet and stood up quickly, bumping into the television before leaning towards the door and opening it.

"Hey sor -." she stopped and looked up, taking a deep breath before standing up straight, "Hi."

Squall sighed, letting his arms relax from their crossed pose. He looked down and then looked back at Rinoa with his hands in his pockets, "Hi."

They both stood in silence before Rinoa stepped aside, inviting him in without saying a word. Squall kept his head down as he walked into her suite, looking at the sprawled papers in her living room. They covered the couch, the coffee table, and some parts of the tiny dining table. He saw streaks of colored highlighter, mostly blue, and large cursive-esque writing in the margins. From where he stood he could see her suitcase in the bedroom which was opened on the floor. And what he saw was a dark blue dress, heels, and the smallest black pany lying beside it.

The door clicked shut behind him and he turned around to see her for what seemed like the first time. It was noon and yet she wore grey sweatpants, socks, and a black tank top. This is what she wore to bed when it was slightly chilly out, but it made sense with the air conditioning being on so high. Her hair was too short to be pulled up, but she had the top half pulled up into a white scrunchie.

Her hips had filled out, her collarbones were more visible than before, and Squall noticed the faintest smile lines beside her mouth. She also had more than one piercing in her ears; a small hoop wrapped around the top cartilage of her ear.

Rinoa assessed him in front of her. He stood wearing his SeeD uniform which was slightly frayed at the arms from years of use. She noticed the length of his hair, the frown lines, and the purple bags beneath his eyes. Rinoa took note of the stubble around his jaw and the shadow it had left on his skin; she noticed the fatigue and stress he had endured. And the wave of emotions he was hiding the best he could from her. She could feel it though, and she could feel her own body pulsating with the same emotions.

"Hi," he said, breaking the silence between them. "You uh…" his eyes casted downwards, trying to find the words he had rehearsed on the elevator ten thousand times, "ho-how was the ride?"

"The ride?" Rinoa asked, raising her eyebrow, "You mean the boat?"

Squall nodded, "Yeah. I sent my best future cadet."

"Yeah, thanks. He was nice. The...ride...was fine."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Rinoa coughed and stood up straight, taking a deep breath, "You want coffee?"

"Yes. Please."

"Okay, because I think I'm going to need some." She smiled in his direction faintly before turning on her heels and walking over to the coffee maker. She turned it on and grabbed cream for her, two mugs, and a spoon. "I haven't had a chance to have some yet," she continued, "Everyone came to see me but then Zell had to teach and Quistis too, and Irvine had to go run some errands for Selphie and Selphie is too tired of being cooped up so she went with him. I just decided to come back here and unpack and begin practicing for tomorrow."

"Do you think it's going to go okay? I mean, Cid told Matron that it was just a formality and that he agrees we should take over the basement for space and whatever, so I'm pretty much practicing for nothing," she put Squall's mug aside and began to pour some creamer into her cup, "but still, there's going to be a lot of guys in there that I don't know so it's still intimidating. I know all of this," she pointed to the papers behind her, "but you know when you get in front of someone and even though you have rehearsed it millions of times your mind goes blank? That's what I'm afraid of."

 _You have no idea,_ Squall thought to himself, _She's nervous if she's talking this much._

"Here you go," Rinoa said chipperly, "Still take it black?"

Squall nodded and sipped the scalding liquid, "Yeah, I do."

"How is work?" she asked, beginning to collect her papers and attempted to pile them on the coffee table. It didn't work, and instead it collapsed onto the carpet beneath the surface. Rinoa waved her hand and sat on the couch, leaving room for Squall. "I can only imagine how busy you have been."

"It's a lot," Squall said quietly, eventually sitting beside Rinoa at a reasonable distance. "Then again, he gave me the job when I was seventeen. I thought that was a lot."

Rinoa nods and sips her coffee, looking at Squall as she swallowed, "Cid has had nothing but positive things to say when he visits."

"Then I must be doing something right."

Rinoa chuckled, setting her coffee in her lap. "So why are you here?"

 _Damn, she doesn't waste any time,_ Squall said to himself, _to be honest I don't even know why I'm here._

"To break the tension," he said simply, "I assumed it was going to be here. I didn't want it to interrupt your business proposal tomorrow."

Rinoa nodded and looked into her milky drink, sighing, "Yeah. I know."

They both looked into their drinks and around the room, anywhere but each other, for what seemed like eternity. Then finally Rinoa looked up, remembering what Matron had told her what seemed like forever ago, and made her eyes meet his.

"I miss you. But this is really hard." she paused, "Like...I can feel you. And I feel me...I feel we could have worked." Rinoa looked at him for any shred of emotion, scanned his entire body, but she knew the wall was there and that she was back at square one. She could tell by his energy that he was fighting though, that much she suspected.

Squall wanted to tell her the truth, but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to tell her he missed her too, that he wanted her to be near all the time, that his life had completely changed since she left. That he wasn't whole and that he wanted to be with her more than he did when he was seventeen. Yet he couldn't allow himself to say those things, instead he went and looked away, "We couldn't have."

And the words stung. They cut Rinoa to the core and shattered every hope she may have had, even if it was tiny, was gone. She swallowed her tears forming at the back of her throat and nodded, "Okay."

"...All will go well tomorrow," Squall said, trying to move on from the subject, "Headmaster is right, it is just -."

"Are you really just going to leave it like that?" Rinoa asked, looking directly into Squall's eyes. She could feel her aura channeling to the surface of her body, radiating warmth through her skin, "We haven't seen each other for four years and that's all you have to say? Not an, 'I missed you' or a 'wow, you look great' or anything? Just agreeing that we were better off without each other?"

"What else do you want me to say?" Squall retorted, standing up and putting his coffee down, "You want me to say that I have pined over you each and every day and I can't live without you? What do you want?"

"I want YOU," Rinoa stood up as well and put her hands on her hips, "to show me some shred of emotion since you have obviously had NONE the past four years!"

Squall began to yell, "We are broken up! You want me to send you letters every day for four years? We broke up! I don't have to do anything!"

"You didn't even TRY!"

Outside of the suite, their echos could be heard down the hall. SeeD's and potential candidates passed and jumped at the sound of their commanders voice booming from behind what were supposed to be sound-proof doors. Selphie walked hand-in-hand with Irvine down the hallway before turning into the dormitories. Both of them stopped and turned their heads in the direction of the yelling; Selphie held up her hand to look at her watch.

Irvine asked, "What time is it?"

"Quarter-past one."

"Tell Zell he owes me fifty gil. They're fighting already."

Authors Note: Do people even read these things anymore? Gosh, it's been so long since I have written anything and I am so thankful for the Successor Challenge for bringing writing back into my life. Shout out to my life-long Squinoa partner, Noah aka Angel's Fallen Knight for reading this and making sure it's up to par. And another shout out to me leaving my crappy job so I can finally have time to write again. It's funny how life changes like that. Stay tuned for more, folks!


	2. Part II

By time Rinoa was finally able to settle her energy, it was past dinner time and she was very much overdue for a meal. She sat surrounded by her stacks of papers and Squall's unfinished coffee that she somehow is hesitating to throw down the sink. Rinoa even went the extra mile and changed into a blue nighttime romper after showering to give her a fresh start. Nothing changed and she was still angry, so a bottle of red wine came out on the counter. Her glass was cradled into her hand.

There was a gentle knock at her door and Rinoa jumped, staring angrily at the door. "Who is it?" she yelled, not moving from her position on the couch. The doorknob wiggled and turned open, the door swung inward and revealed Quistis and Selphie holding what appeared to be take-out. "Food?" Selphie asked, cheerily.

Rinoa took a deep breath of relief before she smiled and nodded, setting her glass on the ground and rustled her papers onto the coffee table neater than before. Selphie brought in two bags of food as Quistis cradled two bottles of wine. She shut the door behind her and placed the bottles of wine beside the opened one on the counter. Selphie took paper plates out of the bags and set them down, shoveling copious amounts of food onto each plate.

Rinoa grabbed her glass of wine and padded over to Selphie, putting her head on top of Selphie's, "You always know when I need food."

Quistis laughed, "You didn't show up for dinner. We figured dinner could come to you given tomorrow is going to be stressful enough for you."

A smile was sent in Quistis' direction from Rinoa before she grabbed two plates and put them on the coffee table covered with papers. Quistis grabbed her own plate and another glass of wine for herself before sitting beside Selphie. The three girls crammed themselves onto the small sofa, digging into their food.

"So what were you arguing about?" Selphie asked, looking at Rinoa. Rinoa choked on a piece of her food, coughing before looking at the two other girls.

"What did you say? Arguing?"

"Yeah, pretty much the whole Garden heard it," Quistis said, looking at the brunette, "You and Squall arguing."

Rinoa sighed and put down her fork, running her hand through her hair, "He came by and we just...I don't know…"

"Something about Squall not sending letters and him not trying?"

"Okay, now I'm just convinced that you were eavesdropping," Rinoa stated, crossing her arms and sitting back. "Just like...you don't see someone for two years and then all they say is that you're better broken up? How rude is that?"

Quistis placed her fork on her plate and leaned back, looking at Rinoa, "It's Squall. He has a hard time formulating things. You know this."

"Yeah but," Selphie said, still leaning forward with a mouthful of food, "Rinoa is right. Like he could have at least _tried_ to make smalltalk. It's like he's socially inept at times."

" _Thank you,_ " Rinoa emphasizes, pointing to Selphie, "See? She get's it."

"Selphie has pregnancy brain, she doesn't count right now."

"Hey!"

"And he…" Quistis sighed, crossing her arms and looking forward, "He's changed Rinoa. We have all seen it. There is something missing in him since you left."

"Well that's not my problem." Rinoa crossed her arms as well and pouted, "He's the one that decided to be a stubborn jackass."

"Again. Squall." The blonde retorted, looking at her old friend, "You are both hurting. Give it a day, take your time to prepare, and then see where things go."

"Yeah!" Selphie cheered, leaning back as well and darting her head back and forth between her two friends, "And hey, maybe you'll get back together!"

Rinoa scowled and leant forward, shoveling another piece of food onto her fork, "Yeah, okay."

The chatter around Squall managed somehow to calm his thoughts. It's crazy how the loudest places can sometimes clear your mind. He sipped the ale before him and sighed, raising his finger to get another. His third drink in and his stomach still felt like it was being shredded. His heart hurt, his head pounded, and his hands shook.

The alcohol was not helping.

"Ay! Squall!"

"Great…" Squall muttered to himself, nodding to thank the bartender as he finished his former drink, "Just what I need."

Irvine sat next to Squall on his left and Zell plopped himself on the right. They both ordered "what he's having" and looked forward. Avoiding all eye contact was key in conversation.

"What's going on? How did it go with Rin?" Zell asked, wrapping his hand around the pint when it arrived, "She seemed happy to be here."

The alcohol answered, "Happy to see you guys. Not me."

Zell and Irvine exchanged a surprised look, but then Irvine raised an empty hand and made a sipping motion to indicate that Squall has been drinking. Zell nodded and winked, giving Irvine a thumbs up before turning back to the conversation.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Irvine asked, running his ring finger around the edge of the glass. "Did she tell you that?"

"I'm not stupid, I don't need her to tell me."

The two friends nodded as Squall took a long drink of his alcohol, "She's different."

"Yeah, did you see her hips, dude?" Irvine asked loudly, moving his hands in a curvacious manner, "She's looking good."

Squall glared at Irvine, causing him to put his head down and sip his own beverage. Zell coughed, "What did you guys fight about?"

The commander raised an eyebrow, "Fight? How did you know we had a fight?"

"Everyone heard."

"Yeah literally everyone heard."

"Great…" Squall muttered, sighing, "I just wanted to say hello and break the tension and then she just brings up everything from four years ago."

"As is the life of women," Irvine sighed, taking a sip of his drink, "They will remember what you did, what you said, and how it made them feel from an exact time. No matter how long ago it was."

The word vomit ensued, "She's the one that ended it. Not me."

Zell choked on his drink and coughed, slamming his fist into his chest, "The hell?"

Irvine chimed in, "Wait, what?"

Squall realized in that moment he had said too much and downed the rest of his drink. He stood up and began to walk away, leaving his old leather jacket behind that he had grabbed from his closet. Zell and Irvine saw him stumble as he stood up, realizing for the first time they had never seen him drink this much. There was definitely something more to the equation that they all needed to know, the girls included. Irvine left his drink and grabbed Squall's jacket as Zell slid beneath Squall's arm, holding him steady. "Come on, let's get you back."

Squall tried to push the tattoo'd friend away, but failed when he wobbled right into a tiny waitress. He slurred an apology before Zell managed to grab him by the waist and pull him close, Irvine standing on the opposite side of the intoxicated commander. "You can't do this without us, man, let us help."

Irvine and Zell managed to get Squall into the car and back to Garden, but it wasn't without notice. While the girls chatted amongst themselves, they heard Irvine and Zell bantering back and forth.

"Wait, did he really do that?" Selphie giggled, putting her feet up on the coffee table. "One of their fathers?"

"Yeah!" Rinoa exclaimed, sipping her wine and smiling, "Like we watch kiddos too since there are a lot of army bases, and he literally asked me -."

"Come on, Leonhart work with me!"

"I'm fine!"

"Dude you knocked over a waitress."

Quistis turned her head in the direction of the familiar voices. She was the one to get up first and look through the peephole that allowed her to see into the hallway. There wasn't anything there, but in moments she was able to see a drunken Squall Leonhart being escorted by an irritated Zell and an Irvine that was undeniably enjoying this rare sight. The blonde felt a tightness in her chest and she wasn't sure what to do in that moment. Does she go out and help, and abandon Rinoa? Or does she stay in here and keep Rinoa safe? Is there an in between option?

"What's going on?" Rinoa asked, standing on her tip-toes to try to get a glimpse out of the peephole. "Is that Squall?"

"She was in my way."

"No I'm pretty sure it's the other way around, buddy."

"Whatever."

Rinoa pushed Quistis out of the way and opened the door, revealing the three men joined together by arms and a pair of drunken feet. Irvine looked into the sorceress' room and noticed all three girls standing in the doorway: Selphie trying to hold back laughter, a worried and slightly amused Rinoa, and a Quistis that was shaking her head and sighing.

"How many beers?" Rinoa asked gently, walking up to the three of them. She was still wearing her blue sleep romper, which may have been a little tight, but she was more worried about the well being of the man she cared about than anything else.

"Four," Zell replied, "Completely finished."

"And whiskey," Squall said, trying to push Irvine and Zell off of him. "Don't forget that."

"Let him go," Rinoa said calmly, moving into Zell's spot on Squall's right side, "Come with me."

"N-."

"Squall." Rinoa snapped, looking up at him, "Knock it off and walk. You need to go to bed."

It was almost like a switch flipped in Squall's head as he gently slung his arm around Rinoa's small frame, allowing her to walk with him towards the end of the dormitories. Behind them their friends watched as Rinoa walked Squall to his room in bare feet, staying with him as he nearly collapsed into the wall. Quistis sighed, "This plan didn't go well."

"It's because we didn't know about the whiskey," Zell stated, crossing his arms. The sorceress and her Knight were now safely in Squall's room. They all heard the door shut. "If we had gotten there sooner.."

"No!" Selphie exclaimed, placing a hand on her stomach, "This is good! They're together!"

Quistis groaned, "Yeah but Squall is drunk…"

Irvine winked.

Rinoa managed to sit Squall down on the edge of his bed and brought a small trash bin to his aid. She knew he was watching her every move and she suddenly cursed at herself for her choice of wardrobe at the time. As she sorted through his drawers to try to find a pair of sleep pants, Squall sighed loudly and managed to sit up straight, rolling his shoulders in the process.

"I didn't need your help." He said simply, running a hand through his hair, "I could have gotten back."

"Without Zell and Irvine?" Rinoa replied, finally pulling out a pair of black plaid pajama pants. She threw them at him and began to walk out of his bedroom, "I'll believe it when I see it. Get changed."

With the door closed behind her, Rinoa began to sort through his fridge for something for him to eat. There wasn't much, which worried her since she knew how much he loved to eat. She managed to throw together a small sandwich and a coffee, which she knew would help when the morning came. Rinoa grabbed a bottle of water out of the lowest compartment in the fridge, along with some painkillers to help with his head.

She had never seen Squall drink this much, aside from the night they came back from the Time Compression. Even then, he was not this bad. Something had to be troubling him.

 _Maybe our fight..?_

There was a loud bang emulating from the bedroom, followed by an "I'm fine". Rinoa rolled her eyes and grabbed a napkin before Squall emerged from the bedroom wearing only the pajama pants that Rinoa had pulled out. She could tell his consciousness was gone considering this was what he used to wear to bed when they were dating, but then Rinoa mentally kicked herself for not pulling out a shirt for him as well. He was still sculpted, now more so than before, and Rinoa could see the purple veins bulging from his biceps. Squall wasn't as thin as he once was, but he had the muscle to make up for it.

Rinoa coughed, "Eat this, please," She moved him back towards the bed and sat him down, handing him the sandwich first and then the water with aspirin. They were silent the entire time; Rinoa making sure he is chewing properly and Squall slowly coming back to reality. She wrapped her hands in her lap and positioned herself against the wall, still seated comfortably on the bed.

"You don't drink this much." She said factually, looking at him, "What happened?"

"You did," Squall replied, "Quistis was right. And don't tell her I said that."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow and turned her body more towards him, opening herself up to him, "What did she say?"

"That seeing you again was going to be hard," he began, taking another sip of water, "that a lot of emotions were going to come from it. She was right."

The sorceress sat back and watched her Knight, slowly eating and sipping the water she provided him. Quistis has amazing insight into everything, so Rinoa wasn't surprised at what she had told him. What blindsided her was that Squall still hurt, just as she did, over what had happened. She knew what he said earlier was just his wall, but still it hurt just as much. What she knew even more than that was that Squall still loved her. She could see it written all over his face as he avoided eye contact with her.

 _I was coming for a business deal, not to deal with this stuff all over again...Matron was right…_

"Quistis is always right," Rinoa noted, smiling gently, "She's the mother of the group."

"You're going to be a great mother," Squall blurted out, looking up at her, "They tell me how you are with the children. They have seen it first hand. I wish I could have."

Rinoa felt her heart drop into her stomach, the events playing from the last time they had been together as a couple. They both had been screaming, Rinoa crying, beginning to throw things. She had felt as if four years of her life had been wasted. Squall was at the end of his rope, unsure of where to go next and afraid of what was potentially ahead.

Rinoa wanted to be a mother. Squall was not willing to be a father.

"Squall…" she began to tear up, leaning forward into him. Squall placed his plate on the ground and laid backwards onto his bed. He felt the world spinning around him and he saw her face looming above him. For a moment, she looked just as if she was seventeen again and drifting into his lap in space. He could see her long hair, her highlights, the baby blue duster swirling around her frame. He could see her angel wings from her limit break, Angelo at her feet. It all hurt, but was so comforting.

He reached out and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. Rinoa pushed her cheek into his calloused hand, bringing her body close to his. His hand moved down from her cheek to her waist, pulling her close as she loomed over him with her arm pressing into the mattress.

"Squall…" Rinoa whispered, bringing herself closer to him. He pulled her in close so her body rested on top of his, "Squall we can't.."

"Yes we can." He leant up and brushed his lips against hers, gently pulling at her top lip with his. Squall pulled away for a second and looked into her eyes. They were semi-open, but their eyes met and Rinoa pushed into him once more and their lips locked with each others. He pulled her thigh over his hip and held her close, his lips brushing against her jaw and collarbone.

"I've missed you…" she whispered, pulling away from him and pressing her forehead against his. Squall looked up at her with his slate colored eyes, running his fingertips over her hips.

He uttered the words she had been longing to hear since she arrived at eight in the morning, "I've missed you too."

The sun came in through the curtains too early the next morning. It almost was as if the night had dissolved into the dusk, and then the sun came up in the sky immediately after. The sunshine bled into the room from the corner window, slowly kissing the edge of the bed before it ran over Squall's tired face.

He groaned as he pulled the covers over his head and attempted to turn over, but noticed a presence in his bed. His eyes rolled from the bottom of the bed, up the curves of the figure beside him, and noticed a sound asleep Rinoa. Squall sat up and the covers draped to his waist. He ran a hand through his short hair and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Great…" he muttered. He remembered bits and pieces of last night: walking to the bar, drinking too much. He remembered Zell and Irvine coming to the bar and somehow he ended up back in his room with Rinoa. She had come into his room, he remembered that, but there were small slivers of it replaying in his mind.

Behind him Rinoa stirred and rolled over, rubbing a fist against her eyes before opening them. The two happened to connect their gaze. Rinoa sighed with a small smile while Squall looked downward.

Does he ask what happened? Did he say something wrong?

 _I obviously didn't say anything wrong if she ended up in bed with me._

"Good morning," Rinoa whispered, sitting up. Squall noticed she still had on her baby blue sleep romper, so he managed at that time to put two and two together to assume they didn't sleep with each other. "How do you feel?"

Squall groaned and rolled his shoulders before attempting to crack his neck, "The usual headache after drinking. Nothing else."

"That's because I gave you a sufficient amount of food and painkillers. I knew today was going to be big for both of us. I don't need your bad mood impacting the decision of my business."

Nodding, Squall stood up and stretched his hands above his head. Rinoa laid back down and watched him, wondering what he next move was going to be. He did lean in and kiss her last night, and wanted more to happen but Rinoa had began running her fingers through his hair and over his eyebrows. Soon after that he fell asleep, and Rinoa did as well.

"How much do you remember..?"

The commander knew better to lie. He knew that she could read him like a book when she wanted to but he also didn't want to impact her mood for the day. So he replied, "We didn't sleep together, did we?"

Rinoa shook her head, "Technically we did but no, we did not have sex. We did kiss a lot."

That much Squall expected. Drunken Squall tends to get handsy or irritable, mostly the latter, but he knew the moment she entered the picture things changed. He half expected her to be angry at him for not remembering, but then realized she had mellowed out a lot over the past four years.

"You're not mad I don't remember?" He asked, turning around to face her. "I'm surprised."

Rinoa shrugged her own shoulders and got out of bed, stretching from side to side, "There's no point. You were drunk. Normal people don't remember things when they're drunk, let alone Commanders."

Squall nodded and grabbed a shirt out of his dresser. Rinoa stepped into the bathroom and when she came out, she had a worried look on her face. Squall asked what was wrong and was met with this answer:

"I need to do the walk of shame."

He raised an eyebrow at her and then realized what it must look like. The Commander slept with his ex-girlfriend, who is a Sorceress and helps run an orphanage, the first night she arrived. It also made it look like Rinoa had slept with him to sway his opinion on her business proposal. Squall sighed, "No one is awake at this time. Classes don't start until nine-forty. Just walk back."

"In this?" Rinoa moved her hands up and down to gesture to her nighttime apparel, "It's not dinner time when everyone is in the caf. There's a higher chance people will see me now."

"Walk fast."

"Squall!"

"It'll be more suspicious if I walk you back, Rinoa."

The sorceress sighed and crossed her arms, "Maybe I can have Quistis grab my clothes…"

"Rinoa, just walk back. It'll be even more worse than people seeing if they know."

Rinoa bantered, "It's better her knowing than Irvine, Selphie and Zell. She can keep a secret."

"Is it a secret if we didn't have sex?"

Nodding, Rinoa said "still a secret."

Squall took a deep breath and walked away from Rinoa, stepping into the kitchen to turn on his coffee maker. Rinoa grabbed Squall's cell phone and entered the same code he had years prior, knowing it would still work. When it unlocked, the commander turned around and spoke to her, "She's going to tell you the same thing I told you."

Rinoa replied, "I'm still going to try."

She dialed Quistis' cell phone number as Squall grabbed two mugs for coffee. He listened to her conversation from the kitchen.

"Quisty?...Yeah, I fell asleep...no, we did not have sex…"

Squall grumbled aloud, putting his coffee mug aside before pouring a cup for Rinoa. She spoke.

"Yeah so I don't want to do the walk of sha - is that a MAN in the background?! Oh my God, is it the guy from the bar that - yeah he's here...Okay...yeah, so do you think you can bring me my clothes since you have a key to my room? ...No, Quistis, I am not simply walking back to my room!"

"Told you so," Squall groaned, grabbing the cream out of his fridge that he kept for when Quistis came over Sunday morning to go over the plans for the week. He felt Rinoa staring at him even without looking at her.

"...Okay...I guess that'll work...yeah, I'll wait. It doesn't take me long to get ready. Thank you, Quisty." Rinoa hung up the phone and put it down on the bed before walking into the kitchen. Squall handed her her cup of coffee and she brought it to her lips to blow on it.

"She's going to come get me and walk with me so it'll just look like her and I are walking. She's going to bring a pair of flats and a long coat so my night clothes are covered."

Squall nodded, leaning against the counter, "That'll work."

Rinoa sighed and took a small sip of caffeine, relishing in its taste. The two were silent, and Rinoa took a seat at the small round dining table. She crossed one leg over the other and with her hand that wasn't holding the coffee, she traced her fingertips over the rings in the wood.

"You said something to me last night," Rinoa began, keeping her eyes downward, "You told me I was going to be a good mother. And that you wish you could see me with the children."

Squall listened, but didn't know what to say. What he said was true and that much he knew, but he did not know whether or not to state that he agreed with it or not. He couldn't defend it if he said it was a lie, and if he lied he knew he would break her immediately.

She may have seemed stronger, but he knew how sensitive she was.

That and Rinoa knew when he was lying.

"You are going to be a great mother," he began, "Just…"

"You don't think it'll be with you." Rinoa stated firmly, "That'll it'll be with someone else."

"Someone more fit to be a father." Squall stated, looking into his coffee, "That person isn't me."

"You think anyone thinks that they'll be a good parent? Because they don't. You don't even want to try. That is what makes me mad."

The commander sighed as he finished the rest of his coffee and put the mug in the sink, leaning above it with his head down, "I'm not doing this this morning." he said.

"Doing what?" Rinoa argued, "Talking about what ended us? You can't just run away from what happened Squall. We broke up for a reason."

"A reason that is still the same," he retorted, turning around and looking at her, "You want to be a mother. You're going to do great. It's just -."

"Not going to be with you, I get it!" She yelled, standing up and putting her half-finished coffee in the sink. Rinoa stood with her arms crossed and stared at him dead in the eyes, "You don't need to keep saying it."

"Then why do you keep bringing it up?"

"First of all, for the record, you're the one who brought it up in a drunken conversation last night. Secondly, I am bringing it up because I haven't spoken to you in _four_ years so I have some things I want to talk about!"

Squall sighed and looked at her, his arms crossed as well. His wall began to rise up and he felt the urge to make her go away.

"What do you want to talk about then?"

"I don't know," Rinoa began, throwing her hands down, "Like why you didn't say anything sooner? Why didn't you tell me you felt that way? Why didn't you want to try?"

"And all of that still matters four years later?" Squall asked, "It's not my fault you decided to harbor all of those feelings."

That one cut her deep. She knew he hurt too and that his walls were coming up, and she could feel the combination of anger, hurt and confusion run through her veins. Rinoa could hear his thoughts in his head - and they were scared - but it angered her that even after everything they had been through, Squall still felt as if he could not be honest with her. He still felt the need to hide, to hurt, to push away.

And it made her angry.

"I harbored those feelings because you killed me, Squall. You pushed me so far away that I couldn't even reach you anymore. But I guess none of it matters, because you don't care enough to consider others before yourself."

Squall's chest tightened as there was a knock at the door. Rinoa glared at Squall before opening the door, seeing Quistis in a pair of jeans and a grey sweater. She held a shopping bag and walked into Squall's apartment, putting the bag on the counter and beginning to fish for things in the bag.

"You two need to think more before you do things," she began, obviously noticing the tension in the room, "I can't keep covering. We are almost thirty."

"That's just you," Rinoa said sweetly, taking the black trench coat and flats from Quistis and slipping them on, "Old lady."

The blonde rolled her eyes and looked at Squall who was a combination of seething and hurt, leaning against the counter with his hip. She wanted to ask what was wrong but was smart enough not to. So she took the shopping bag from Rinoa who was extremely eager to leave the space. She walked out of the door without as much as a goodbye and Quistis followed, looking at Squall before she mutter a "Hey."

Squall looked up at her, "What?"

"Take a shower. You look horrible."

Quistis shut the door behind her and fast-walked up her way to Rinoa who was at least five meters ahead of her at this point. She sighed as she caught up, looking at her old friend.

"What ha-."

"Men are morons."

Rinoa took a deep breath, pacing back and forth outside of the conference room. Everything was set up prior thanks to Quistis, but the men in the room still waited for her. She could hear the chatter, but all she could feel were her knees shaking in nervousness.

She held onto her phone in her hands and felt it buzz. The lock screen stated it was from Matron, so she opened it and smiled with a breath of relief, "You're going to do great. I have faith in you."

"Rinoa," Rinoa looked up to see Headmaster Cid walking out of the conference room leaving the door slightly opened behind him, "We are ready when you are."

The sorceress nodded, standing up straight and taking a deep breath. Cid walked closer to her and she could see more of his age showing. Matron naturally ages well but Cid looked many years older than she up close. Rinoa could see the years of stress and low sleep on the edges of his eyes and the emotions that wore on him on his forehead. He took both her hands in his, and held them, "This is a formality," he said, "You are going to do great. We just need these people to hear your plans."

Rinoa smiled sweetly, letting her hands go by her side as she walked behind Headmaster Cid. When they both entered the room, everyone went silent. All of the men looked at her; some were with confusion, some looked at her surprisedly. Others had no expression and looked blank, trying to look intimidating.

She noticed the lack of women in the room and sighed, wishing Matron or Selphie or Quistis were with her. Rinoa felt under such an enormous amount of pressure that goosebumps rose to her skin. She should have felt more at ease with Squall being directly in front of her, but instead it made the storm in her mind worse.

She cleared her throat, opening the folder in front of her. As the men sat around the table, she stood.

"Good morning," she sang. The men echoed it back. "My name is Rinoa Heartilly, known daughter of General Caraway of Galbadia, and leader of the Timber Resistance team Forest Owls," Rinoa held her head up higher and scanned her eyes around the room, "And I come to you with a proposal."

She clicked on the projector on and pressed a button on the table to dim the lights. Behind her was an electronic version of the presentation she had compiled along with the physical version. _Thanks for letting me use this room, Zell._

"For the past four years I have been spending my time with these little children, and it has brought me so much joy," she motioned to the picture of children behind her, laughing and playing with herself and Matron, "but we have run into a problem and we need the help of Balamb Garden."

Rinoa progressed the slideshow into the next slides, explaining them, "This is the current situation of our orphanage. Although it has been repaired, we have suffered numerous floods due to the level of the ocean and major wind damage. Whenever something breaks, Headmaster Cid is more than graciously offering of having SeeD's come out to mend it. Often times we decline, because we know that it takes time and energy away from more important matters.

"We manage to get funding for food through each city the child is from. Since we are close to the city of Esthar, well, as close as anything is, Esthar helps us with a lot of our needs. And we are so thankful."

Rinoa looked around to gauge where her audience was. Some men were intruiged, some were looking ready to fall asleep. Headmaster Cid winked at Rinoa and Squall simply glanced at her. She sighed, "We have survived the winter but are not sure how much longer we will last. We also do not have the room to accomodate more children, as well as enough adults to keep within proper safety protocol.

"If Balamb Garden chose to help us, we would be able to have more room for these children. We would also have a more stable living condition that would not be directly affected by weather. SeeD's can choose to volunteer in their spare time and it could also be an option as a study. We would be able to cook more wholesome meals and have a more regimented schedule." Rinoa clicked to the next slide, "This would be the monetary amount that Balamb Garden could obtain by sourcing us. Thank you for your time."

The men around the room applauded, except one. This man sat across from Headmaster Cid and was big in stature. He was round and had a layer of fat beneath his chin, with no stubble or beard to attempt to conceal it. His hairline was receeding and the hair he did have was thin and greyed. He wore a black suit with a red dress shirt beneath, and in his pocket was what looked like a half smoked cigar.

For a second, Rinoa thought of NORG.

"Does anyone have any questions for Miss Heartily?" Headmaster Cid asked calmly, beaming a small smile in her direction, "Very well presented."

"Thank you, Sir," Rinoa stated, smiling gently, "I appreciate all of your time."

"What I don't appreciate," this man began, his voice booming, "is that you are really going to entertain the idea of a daycare in this Garden, Cid." He scoffed, "I mean, you don't have any bigger pressing plans right now?"

"Headmaster Leonhart has been working on adding onto the training center and perhaps expanding it into classrooms, however our enrollment has increased by 48% over the past couple of years. We have the money to fund something for the greater good." Cid retorted, "And Albertus, I am honestly displeased with your sudden change of heart."

"Cid, my heart hasn't changed, I just wonder what your priorities lie in. I understand Edea is your wife, but this young lady is a new sorceress and quite honestly, although the threat of the Time Compression is in the past, she was associated with it."

Rinoa felt her heart sink. She knew that something like this was going to happen, but was praying it wasn't going to happen. When she visited Esthar for the orphanage, she still got the glares and confused looks even though she had practiced for years on maintaining her magic. So much time had passed, and yet it was still as if she was seventeen years old and confused about who she was.

"I was associated with it, too, Albertus," Squall chimed in, turning his chair to Albertus' direction. "Do you have a problem with me running Balamb Garden?"

"No, Commander, not in the slightest -"

"Excuse me, Sir," Rinoa began, gently moving her voice into the conversation, "May I ask you a question?"

Albertus scoffed, raised his hand and leaned back in his seat, "Sure, sweetheart. Go ahead."

She smiled, "Do you have children?"

The men around the room looked confused, all except Squall. He knew exactly what Rinoa was going to do, and she was going to do what she did best.

Transfer her emotions. Convey her feelings.

Albertus replied, "Yes, I have three. Why?"

"And they all lived with you and your wife for their entire lives?" She continued. Albertus nodded.

"I lived with my father until I was a teenager after my mother died. I went out on my own when I was sixteen, then when I was seventeen I finally found my home in Timber. I was homeless for a whole year, and honestly I don't know how I made it as far as I did. Fortunately, I was lucky. These children are not.

"Sometimes we get a call at two in the morning that another child was left at a hospital, or that one was placed in a safe haven. Lately, we have been having to reject them. Sometimes they are only a couple of hours old. We don't know where they go, or who takes care of them if it is not us.

"We don't have the room. We don't have enough people to care for these children. Yes, I am a sorceress, and I have maintained my power limits for a great amount of time. If anything had given me more hope in life that I can do something great, it is taking care of them. They don't have a mother like me, so I don't know what else to do other than love them. I make memories with them, feed them, clothe them, teach them their first words. I wake up at midnight when they cry because they are teething. You children had that. Why deny these children?"

The room fell silent as Squall hid a silent smirk. Rinoa knew exactly how to play every person in the room with her words. It was something she had done for years. All the men around the room looked at each other before Albertus coughed, "So all in favor?"

The men in the room raised their hands, including Squall and Headmaster Cid. Albertus begrudgingly held up his hand slowly, shooting a glare at Rinoa for making him less than a man in front of his coworkers. Rinoa applauded her hands together and smiled, "Thank you so much!"

They began to clap as Rinoa smiled, turning around and looking at the newest photo of her and the children on the wall. She looked at the baby she had just held the day before, the one that cooed and whined as their teeth came in. Her heart ached for that baby, but knew she had just directly impacted his future for the better.

As Rinoa looked at the screen, the men stopped applauding and Headmaster Cid nudged Squall in the arm. He smirked, "She looks great, doesn't she?"

Squall wasn't a fool who didn't notice how she looked today. Her hair was gently curled, makeup softly applied, and she donned a tight blue sleeveless dress that showed her curves. Rinoa had put a long white cardigan over the dress to make it look more appropriate, and the heels on her feet made her look much taller than she really is.

She looked beautiful. Just as she did this morning.

"Yes, Sir."

 **Authors Note:** I swear, half of being an adult is mentally knowing you have time to do things but then by time you can actually get to them - you don't want to do them. I took a new job about a month ago and I'm still getting used to jumping around with kiddos and singing nursery rhymes and then telling their parents that they need to burp them. By time I get home I'm just like, "Wow...my bed looks so amazing." I'm almost done writing the third - and final! - part of this, but I just wanted to take a moment to sincerely thank everyone who has read this from the bottom of my heart. Those who read, those who reviewed, and everyone in between I just want to thank you all so much. I have really rediscovered my love of writing and your words of affirmation really made me feel better about how my art has come along. I actually began writing my book and all of you have given me that power.

So from the bottom of my heart - thank YOU! Now, onto practicing my Baby Shark moves...


	3. Part III

She bopped around the kitchen alone, wearing a pair of jeans and a navy blue shirt. Rinoa was the more elated she had been in a while following her business proposal and had decided to arrange a dinner night with her closest friends. Whether or not Squall was going to come, she wasn't sure, but she knew for a fact that Quistis had told Squall about it around lunch time. She had received a text message from Quistis reading, "I told him about the dinner, he didn't seem interested but he may show up."

Rinoa wouldn't have expected anything less from him at this point. She didn't even know where they stood with each other let alone if he was going to come to her suite for dinner. She wish she could say for a fact that she wouldn't care if he didn't come, but she knew deep down it mattered a lot more than it should for a couple that ended a relationship four years ago. Regardless, Rinoa knew cooking would get her mind off of things for the time being. She didn't get to cook fancy meals at the orphanage; she had to make things for a child's palate which often times was a combination of macaroni and cheese, a vegetable that went untouched, and chicken or hotdogs.

She pulled the white wine off of the counter and poured it slowly into the skillet. Her wrist churned the pan as she watched the wine bubble and combine with butter and spices. The chicken was already in the oven being cooked and she planned to dice it up, put it in the sauce, then serve on top of pasta.

It was the perfect comfort food meal and it was safe for Selphie and Lola.

At any time she was expecting people to arrive so she threw her hair in a half-done ponytail and rearranged her living room. Thankfully the papers were gone following the meeting and they were crammed back into her messenger bag in her bedroom. Once she saw the state her bedroom was in, she closed the door and tidied up the bathroom since there may be alcohol and people would have to use it.

Rinoa tossed the sauce once again and pulled the chicken out of the oven. The pasta was thrown into a pot of boiling water before there was a knock at the door and someone entered. She assumed it was Quistis since she had a key and was correct. She was met by the blonde that entered her kitchen wearing leggings and a long dark pink shirt.

"I have your coat and flats in my bedroom," Rinoa began, turning around and flashing a smile, "it's just kind of a mess in there."

Quistis chuckled, bringing in a bottle of white wine and setting it down next to the already opened bottle, "I'm not surprised. Congratulations." She hugged the brunette and looked at the feast she had prepared. "I'm impressed, Rinoa. Considering all you make is hot dogs, macaroni and cheese and broccoli."

"The broccoli goes to me half the time so shush," she giggled and grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the cabinet. Rinoa hesitated to ask the next question, "How was he?"

"Mr. Talkative?" Quistis inquired, opening her wine bottle and pouring some into two glasses. She knew Rinoa preferred white wine so that's what she brought, but Quistis preferred red. Rose wine wasn't liked by either woman. "He's...interesting. More quiet today than usual, but I expected it considering the tension in his home."

"Yikes…" Rinoa whispered, tossing the pasta with a pair of tongs, "you could feel that? I thought I could only feel emotions like that."

"It was so thick you could cut it with a knife, Rinoa."

It was the perfect sentence for Irvine to hear as he entered, and he winked at the two girls before walking into the unlocked suite. Selphie followed, looking exhausted as Zell arrived in tow holding a box from a pastry shop that Rinoa loved. She squealed in glee as she saw it, running up to Zell and hugging him. Rinoa grasped it and carried it into the kitchen and opened it to find six different flavored cupcakes.

She hoped there would be six people here tonight.

"Thank you!" She yelled, clasping her hands together. "You are the best!"

"We need to celebrate your new business plan...and that you're moving back here!" Zell said, throwing a fist in the air, "We are going to be back together again!"

Selphie smiled and plopped onto the couch, sighing deeply and rubbing her stomach. "Are you going to move back to Garden?" she asked.

Rinoa shrugged and leant her hip against the counter. Irvine sat beside Selphie with his arm wrapped around her and Zell took a seat on a recliner. Quistis remained standing beside Rinoa as she answered, "I'm not sure. I don't think it'll be good for me to live here, but I think there are some small apartments in Balamb that I can afford."

"You don't want to be near Squall?" Selphie inquired. The room went silent and all eyes were on Rinoa. She didn't know what to say, and realized every time Squall came into the picture or someone asked about him, she didn't know anything. She didn't know who he was anymore just as if she didn't know who he was. She didn't know how to reply or interact with him, which may be the reasons why they are having a harder time reconnecting.

She thought about it for a moment before she answered, wondering exactly how to word her reply. "It's not a matter of me not wanting to be near him...it's just…" she sighed deeply, looking down, "We're different now. Our relationship is different. It's uncomfortable."

And being uncomfortable was what described it best. When she was seventeen, eighteen, nineteen and twenty she knew what to expect from the Commander. But now that she is twenty-five and had four years away from him, she could feel exactly how different the relationship was. Deep inside of her, she understood the commitment they had made to be Sorceress and Knight, but she wondered if it meant they had to love each other.

She wondered if he still loved her.

"Maybe one day you guys can work things out," Irvine began, "he still seems upset over it."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow, "He does?"

Irvine and Zell exchanged looks before Zell sighed, "He said, drunkenly, that you were the one that ended it. Irvine and I went to the bar while Selphie and Quistis came to see you."

The sorceress crossed her arms and looked around at her friends, the puzzle pieces falling into place. She realized the four of them had attempted some type of reunification between the two and it ended up falling apart. It was sweet, because Rinoa knew the emotional intensity her and Squall had when they were together, but to her it was a futile attempt at what wasn't going to work.

Rinoa began, "Technically, yeah I moved out...I got angry, said things I shouldn't have said, was upset and left. We never really had closure." She turned her back to Quistis who was at her side and tossed the pasta once more before obtaining a strainer from the cabinet, "I think that's why we are having a hard time. We just kind of let it lay there and now we are back together and there is all this turmoil. It's…"

"Uncomfortable," Quistis stated, using Rinoa's own words to describe how she feels. "It feels that way for him too, I think. He doesn't know how to deal with it."

"He doesn't know how to deal with anything." Rinoa muttered under her breath, carrying over the large pot and pouring it into the sink. The strainer caught the pasta while the water steamed up the area she was in. Before she tossed the pasta in with the sauce, Rinoa pulled the chicken out from the oven. "He doesn't care to."

"I wouldn't say that…" Selphie said softly, looking up at Rinoa, "I think he cares too much. I mean, Squall has never been emotional so think about how you know how to deal with things and he kind of doesn't. That can make you look at things differently."

Rinoa turned to Selphie with a confused look, "Does Lola like...make you extra insightful or something?"

"She never had pregnancy brain," Irvine stated, "she remember things better if anything. It's weird."

"Yeah like how you forgot to use a condom and then this happened." Selphie said, pointing to her stomach, "But I love her...and you." she smiled and pecked a small kiss on Irvine's cheek.

Zell made a gagging noise.

"Alright, friends," Rinoa grabbed six plates automatically and stacked them out. Her heart sank when she realized what she had done but decided to leave one out anyways, "Dinner time! Selphie and Lola get the first plate but I'll bring it to you."

She twisted a layer of pasta on the dish and topped it with the sauce and chopped chicken she had done while Irvine and Selphie talked about her pregnancy. Rinoa handed it to Selphie with a fork and spoon for twirling because she knew that's the way Selphie ate her pasta. Everyone else helped themselves and Rinoa went last, fixing a plate for her and giving the rest to the plate Squall could have…

If he came.

"This is awesome, Rin," Zell said, bits of food flying from his mouth as he spoke, "Almost as good as hot dogs."

"Zell this is prime cuisine and you're comparing it to hot dogs?" Quistis sat on the floor with Rinoa to her left, stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork to cap off her pasta. Rinoa giggled.

"...Yeah?" Zell replied, shoveling another ridiculous amount of food into is mouth. "There is nothing wrong with that."

The blonde rolled her eyes and chewed properly, looking around the room. Everyone was enjoying their dinner silently, just appreciating the time they had together. Although Squall was missing, for a moment it felt like it was old times and he was just working late.

"I can't wait for you all to finally meet my kids," Rinoa said happily, looking up at her friends, "They're all so sweet."

"I doubt they are," Irvine said, "I'm terrified this one is going to be a handful." He pointed to Selphie's stomach and sighed. Rinoa smiled sweetly.

"Even if she is, you'll learn. Each child is different and you love them in different ways."

"Do you have a favorite?" Zell asked genuinely, "I mean, I'm sure you're not supposed to but I bet you do."

Solemnly, Rinoa nodded and pushed her remaining pasta around the plate. She began, "I do. He is five months old, such a sweet little boy. Very happy, laughs a lot, but he has been teething lately so he has been a bit more fussy than usual. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, I take him into bed with me and he falls asleep cradled next to me. I've never done that with any other child…" she sighed, "When I called Matron to check in, I asked to talk to him on the phone and he recognized my voice. It was amazing. Matron sais he was looking around for me. It made me sad but happy also knowing that he knows who I am. I can't wait to see him in a couple days before the big move."

"Aww, he sounds so cute!" Selphie said, sending a smile in Rinoa's direction. Her energy instantly uplifted Rinoa enough to move her from her seated position on the floor to standing before she walked over and placed her plate in the sink. Everyone seemed to finish their dinner around the same time, so she began to put the cupcakes on smaller plates.

It made Rinoa smile how different all of their tastes were. Irvine and Selphie knew exactly what cupcake to get Rinoa which was something that could only be named death by chocolate. Quistis' was more mild - a rose cake with buttercream frosting. And Selphie was somewhere in the middle with a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Zell was simple with his vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and Irvine had a vanilla cake with butterscotch frosting. Squall, who was not fond of very sweet, had a coffee flavored cupcake that was dusted with expresso powder.

Rinoa put that one on a small plate for him when there was a knock at the door. She jumped and then was relieved, and terrified, to see Squall at the door when Quistis opened it.

"Yay! Squall is here!" Selphie beamed, clapping her hands together. "Squally we have a cupcake and dinner for you! Well, Rinoa has dinner. Irvie and I got the cupcakes!"

"Thank you," he said quietly, shutting the door behind him. "I would have been here earlier but Cid wanted me to finish your contract tonight."

Rinoa nodded and grabbed a fork for Squall's plate, handing it to him as he approached her. The friends watched the two interact: Rinoa, with her flat affect and Squall with his tense body language and observations of Rinoa. They all wondered if they should break the tension or let them interact and watch as a fight ensued, but Zell decided for the group to interrupt the contact between the two.

"How did she do?"

It was an interesting question to pose but Zell was smarter than people gave him credit for. Quistis mentally nodded and sat on the floor with her cupcake and patted the space next to her for Rinoa to sit once Squall had his plate. The friends ate in their spots as Squall stood, leaning against the counter and twirling the cooled pasta on his fork.

Rinoa was surprised at his answer.

"She did great." He said. "She shut up the most stuck-up person in there."

"That's our Rinoa," Zell smiled, "Forever a leader."

Rinoa smiled and chuckled as she stuck her finger into the frosting and picked up a chunk. She popped her finger in her mouth and sucked it off, wiggling her shoulders a little bit. "He was an asshole," she said, "I had to teach him a lesson. Just because I'm a sorceress doesn't mean I can't take care of children."

"Did he seriously say that?" Irvine asked, surprised, "That's crap."

"Some people still don't get it," Quistis began, "I feel like only us and Headmaster Cid and Matron fully understand what happened with Ultimecia. Everyone else has skewed perceptions. But," she placed her hand on Rinoa's knee, "I'm happy you got this."

"Thank you…" Rinoa whispered, looking down at her plate. "Now what I really need is to find an apartment across from this cupcake shop."

Squall bit his tongue. He was going to ask why she wasn't going to move back to Garden, but he realized that was most likely because of him.

"The place next to my Ma is renting," Zell said, "I can probably get you a good deal."

Rinoa downed the rest of her wine and stood up to get another glass. She walked next to Squall and smelled his scent of leather and his cologne that was a mixture of musk and fresh. She missed that smell and the taste of his lips from the night prior.

"I just can't wait to have my own space." She said, walking back to her spot and sitting beside Quistis, "I don't really get a break."

"You're with the kids all the time, huh?" Irvine asked, "Especially when the little one is teething."

Rinoa nodded and chuckled, "I'm pretty much a Mom. If I wanted to, I could cast a sleep spell on them but then they would wake up in a lot more pain and I don't want that."

Squall watched her from behind. She seemed relaxed but he knew there was something deeper going on. He could see her emotions stewing and to him, it seemed like a concoction of sadness and frustration. If anything, he thought that she would be bouncing around but he remembered his thought from earlier in the day.

She had calmed down. She had no other choice.

"Thank you for the cupcakes," Rinoa said sweetly, looking at her friends. Selphie looked like she was going to fall asleep on Irvine's arm and Rinoa suspected she hadn't been sleeping well towards the end of the pregnancy. "Selphie do you want some tea?"

Selphie shook her head no and cuddled more into Irvine, "I'm fine. Sleeping is hard now with this belly in the way."

"I read you can get pillows for that," Squall said, shocking everyone in the room - especially Rinoa, "so you have more support."

Selphie stared at Squall in awe, looking at him like a deer in headlights, "...You looked up pregnancy pillows?"

He shrugged, finishing the last of his pasta and putting the plate in the sink, "I like to know what everyone is going through so I don't need to guess when things come up."

To the friends it made sense: Squall was the type to plan ahead for every single scenario possible. He always had the perfect solution if the outcome was any letter in the alphabet. He knew how to make a choice and how to execute a solution in any way that came at him. It's one of the reasons Rinoa loved him because she couldn't think that way.

"That's sweet," Selphie smiled, managing to push herself off of the couch without assistance. "Rinny, would you mind if Irvie and I got back to our house and slept? I'm really tired." Irvine stood behind her and placed his hand on her back that he knew ached. He could tell by the way she stood.

"Oh my goodness, of course not!" Rinoa stated, standing up and giving Selphie a tight hug. She felt some different aura about her - whether it was pain or anxiety she couldn't tell, but she knew something was up. Irvine was watching her like a hawk more than usual, but still in his usual goofy way. Rinoa also hugged Irvine and gave him a small peck on the cheek. She muttered 'thank you for the sweets' before the left the suite and shut the door silently behind them. Rinoa heard Irvine ask Selphie if she was okay, to which she replied that she was having some cramping.

Quistis sighed, standing up a little more wobbly than usual before putting her wine glass in the sink, "I hope she's okay. The pregnancy has been difficult for her."

Rinoa nodded and leaned against the kitchen counter behind Squall, "She told me a little bit about it. Matron told her to take warm showers and to drink a lot of water."

"She has been really tired too," Zell added, standing up to give Rinoa his plate. He walked by Squall and noticed how silent he was as he finished his cupcake. He ate it different than anyone; while all the friends typically ate theirs with their hands, he had grabbed a fork to eat it slowly. Zell noticed him twist the tips of the fork in the frosting. "Especially the past couple of months."

"The last month of pregnancy is rough, and she was pregnant during the summer. No one wants that." Rinoa said, beginning to lather up a sponge with soap. Zell and Quistis both gave Rinoa a hug before leaving. Zell clasped his hand on Squall's shoulder and Quistis gave Squall a faint smile before leaving.

The two of them stayed in Rinoa's suite silently as Rinoa hand-washed the dishes. The sponge was full of soap and the water was steaming; it's the only way she washed them. Squall placed the plate his cupcake was on beside her and grabbed the dish rag that was on the side of the sink. He took the dishes from Rinoa and dried them off before putting them back in their assigned spot.

Rinoa broke the silence, "Did you like dinner?"

It was simple small talk, which Squall hated, but it broke the silence.

"You're a good cook."

Rinoa smiled gently and rinsed off the last plate that was Squall's rubbing the sponge in a circular motion to get the small remnants of frosting off of the plate, "I don't get to cook fancy like that. Normally it's kid's food. Matron and I take turns cooking."

Squall nodded, taking the dish from Rinoa and drying it off. She shut off the water and dried her hands with paper towels, tossing them in the trash before looking at Squall.

He stood there and finished drying the last plate. He wore a black tee-shirt and jeans that were fitted around his waist. He wore his boots like usual, but this biceps were pushing the hem of the sleeve on his shirt. She noticed the veins in his arms were much bigger than before, probably from training excessively following her leaving.

"You came." Rinoa began, running her foot back and forth in front of her, "I wasn't expecting you to."

"They would have given me more of a hassle tomorrow if I didn't, and I don't want to deal with it." He answered, putting the dish in the cupboard, "I have enough to deal with."

The sorceress nodded, looking downward, "I can imagine. Cid still put a lot on you?"

Squall sighed and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms in front of him, "Less than before...after you left. The past year it has piled on again and now that it is official we are moving forward with the orphanage on Level B, I need to go through and order the appropriate things. They also need to be here in a timely manner, which I'm better at enforcing than him."

Rinoa chuckled and nodded, "That's true. Cid is such a nice man but his time management is all over the place. That's why him and Matron work."

 _And why you and I worked…_ , Rinoa noted silently.

Squall sighed and muttered, "We should talk" before going and sitting on the couch. Rinoa nodded and sat in the recliner across from him, crossing her legs and managing to fit perfectly. They evaluated each other at the same time, wondering who was going to say what first.

Rinoa began once again, "This morning I -."

"I overstepped," Squall interrupted, looking up at his ex-girlfriend, "...You weren't the only one that harbored feelings. I think it's clear we both have."

Rinoa nodded, letting him continue.

"You just...left."

Her heart broke as she saw the look in his eyes. All of a sudden it was like he was seventeen again and sitting in the Ragnarok, spilling his guts as she sat on his lap. He looked so broken like something he had loved forever was gone forever. Rinoa knew he didn't love her forever, but with the amount of chaos they had been through together it was like they did.

The sorceress sighed deeply, looking down, "It was a shock…" she began, clasping her hands in her lap, "Like, we were together for so long and maybe we should have talked about having kids earlier but we never did. It is something I have always wanted and I just assumed you knew that piece of me. We know everything about each other."

"And then your wall just went up and I was just upset that you shut me out like that," she continued, "It...hurt me."

"You didn't even let me explain." Squall replied, his voice getting louder, "You just got your stuff and left. I didn't know where you went or if you were safe. You didn't reach out. I only heard from Quistis that you were going to see Matron and you never came back."

"You never reached out either," Rinoa retorted, "So I can say the same for you."

"You really expect me to reach out when you told me we are done and you left? I'm not seventeen anymore. I'm not playing some type of wild Chocobo chase with you." Squall snapped, looking Rinoa dead in the eye, "You left."

"You left me mentally!" Rinoa yelled, "You just shut me out like you were just brushing me off. You didn't even explain anything and it's not like you would if I had asked. To me it looked like you didn't give a shit."

Squall stood up and began to pace in the living room. Rinoa watched him closely, watching him breathe deeply yet silently. He finally stood still with his back to her before turning around, "That's what you think? That I don't give a shit?"

"Then I did."

"You still do, though," Squall accused, "You told me I didn't even try."

"Because you didn't!" Rinoa yelled, standing up from her sitting position. "You didn't try!"

"Neither did you!"

"Why would I want to try with someone who doesn't want the same things as me?"

Squall snapped, "Who said I didn't? Who said I didn't want to have children with you? Because I sure as Hyne didn't. I told you I was scared. I told you I didn't want to be a dad."

Rinoa scoffed as she threw her head back, "It's the same thing!"

"No it's not! My father is a father. He left me at an orphanage and never came to get me. The only person I had was Sis and then she left too! You really think I know how to be a dad when I never had one?!"

The two stopped and stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Rinoa had tears welling in her eyes and she finally understood. She understood where Squall was coming from and mentally kicked herself for never asking. She jumped to conclusions and left in spite, angered by his tone with her that night and snapping. Rinoa hated herself in that moment and knew she had overreacted four years ago, but she knew what happened couldn't be undone.

But it could begin to be mended.

Squall sighed again, averting his eyes down in embarrassment, "I'm scared to be a father. And even more scared to be a Dad. No one taught me how...I only had women in my life, and Sis was my biggest support. When she left, I had nothing. Nobody. With my job, and my career, I am terrified to do to my children what my father did to me."

"Squall…" Rinoa stepped forward but then backed off, noticing his hand going to his forehead. He wasn't done yet.

He had bottled this up for so long and he was going to burst.

"And then you don't even listen. I tried to tell you, Rinoa, but as usual you jumped to conclusions. You left and then say that I don't give a shit when I see you four years later?"

"Squall I -."

"No, you don't," he seethed, looking up at her, "You don't know. You don't know that I've thought about you every single damn day since you left. You don't know the nights I haven't slept wondering if you're safe, if you're okay, if you're happy. You don't know anything. You don't know the monster I have become over the past couple of years because I've been tormented by thoughts of you every minute of every hour. I give so much more than a shit about you because I love you. I've always loved you, and I couldn't suffer losing you so here I am, pouring out everything you wanted to hear four fucking years ago."

Rinoa whispered her reply, "Why now..?"

Squall managed to calm down once he got everything out. He couldn't tell anyone but her because no one but her had seen her as vulnerable as he was now. The commander felt as if he had lifted so much pain from his heart and shoulders. He sighed deeply, feeling as if it was the first time in forever he could breathe, "Because I miss you."

"I miss you too," Rinoa replied softly, approaching him. She reached out her arms as she got close and he reached out his hands and grasped her gently. "So much…" He pulled her in by her waist and rested his head on top of hers. She wrapped her arms around his waist and fit with him like a puzzle piece. Her chest pressed into his ribs and her hip brushed his. She rested her head on his chest and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry…" Rinoa said, her voice muffled by his shirt, "I am so sorry, Squall."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head, taking in the scent of her hair. "I'm sorry, too."

They stood there for a little while with her just cradled in his arms like nothing had changed between them. Squall rested his hand on her lower back and Rinoa tightened her arms around his waist. He was a lot harder now, which she had expected, and Squall noticed that she was more curvy than before. Yet, even though both of their bodies had changed, they still fit together perfectly like they had years ago.

"I want another cupcake…" Rinoa muttered, slightly chuckling to herself. She felt Squall's hand raise to look at his watch and he noticed it was a little after eight at night. He still held her tight as he pulled away slightly to look at her. She looked up at him with her big, brown eyes that melted his heart.

He would do anything for her.

"We can make it to the shop if we drive. My car is in the ga-."

Squall didn't even after to finish his sentence as Rinoa bolted from his grasp and put on a long jacket to cover up her sweatpants. He chuckled to himself as he crossed his arms, and just like that Rinoa had her shoes on and ready to go.

She bounced on the heels of her feet and threw her fist in the air, "Let's get cupcakes!" Squall chuckled as he opened the door to her suite, letting her bounce out of the room and in front of him. The two of them walked to the garage, Rinoa walking at least ten feet in front of him for the duration of time they strode. They finally found Squall's black car in the underground and Rinoa bounced in front of it before Squall clicked the button on his keys to unlock it. The sorceress slid into the passenger side, fastening her seatbelt before Squall was even able to get in the car.

"So you're excited?" He playfully jeered, smirking at the girl who was resembling the eighteen year old he returned to Balamb with after the war. He saw the fleck of excitement in her eye, the childish cheeky smile on her face. Rinoa pulled her knees to her chest and nodded as Squall put the keys in the ignition and turned on the vehicle.

During the drive, Rinoa kept nervously eyeing the clock, making sure they were getting there in ample time for her to choose her cupcakes. Squall assumed that she thought he didn't notice, but he noticed everything about her now more than before. Aside from the maturity and curves, he noticed she still had her beautiful, bright spirit. Her hair was shorter than before, which Quistis warned him about previously. The bob graced her collarbones and wispily touched her chin in some parts. There was no more blonde, but Squall noticed two golden earrings in both of her ears. He smirked, pulling into the parking lot in Balamb and parked. Rinoa wasted no time unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door handle. As she turned, he noticed the back of her neck and the curve of her back. It was just as beautiful as he remembered.

The sorceress darted out of the car before Squall touched his back pocket to make sure his wallet was in there. Rinoa waited for him at the back of the vehicle, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Squall had never seen someone so excited to get cupcakes before, and he wondered if she was excited for the sugar high or if she was excited that they were once again, okay.

He tried to keep up with her, but Rinoa was walking too fast. He tried to call to her to slow down but by time she actually listened she was at the door. She whipped it open and breathed in deeply, taking in the smell of freshly baked cupcakes.

Rinoa ordered two: a chocolate lovers cupcake and a confetti cupcake. Squall only originally wanted one, but Rinoa managed to persuade him to get another since 'Squall, wine goes so good with cupcakes. Let's go have wine and cupcakes.'

Squall didn't even want wine. He just wanted to spend time with her.

The trip back to the Garden was shorter than the ride there since Rinoa wasted no time digging into her cupcakes. She managed to leave one for when she got back to the suite but Squall noticed she had taken a dollop of his frosting when he opened the box on the counter.

"Rinoa," he called to her. She was changing in the bedroom while Squall grabbed a couple plates, which he knew he had cleaned hours earlier. That and he knew Rinoa wasn't going to waste any time using a plate. She had used one earlier because she was trying to be polite and didn't want to get the side-eye from Quistis. "Did you have some of my frosting?"

"Nooooooo…" Rinoa trailed off. He could hear the smirking in her tone before she walked out. Squall couldn't help but look her up and down. She wore the shortest pair of shorts she owned over a too-big shirt, which made it look like she wasn't wearing anything underneath the shirt. He shook his head out of his thoughts and handed Rinoa the plate with a cupcake, to which she just took the cupcake, smiled, and plopped on the couch.

Squall rolled his eyes and sighed as he heard Rinoa turn on the television. He grabbed a fork and sat down beside her, crossing one leg on top of the other. She had turned on some type of reality television show following eight friends in Deiling. He wondered why she chose to watch this, but then remembered it was her way of a mental reset. For him, it was the Training Center.

"Thank you for driving," she mumbled, her mouth full of chocolate cupcake, "I'm so happy."

"I can't tell," Squall chuckled, scooping a piece of cupcake with a fork and putting it in his mouth. He never ate this much sugar, but Rinoa wanted it so he did it.

"Shut up," Rinoa playfully replied, elbowing him in the side. She snuggled back into the arm of the couch as Squall rolled his eyes; he watched her put the cupcake wrapper on the coffee table in front of her, just leaving it there. One thing that always drove Squall nuts was how messy Rinoa could be. So he leant forward and grabbed the wrapper, put it on his plate, before standing up and tossing them in the garbage.

Rinoa watched him and chuckled to herself. She knew how much of a neatfreak he was for someone whose office looks like a bomb went off.

When he sat back down beside her, Rinoa snuggled into Squall's side and rested her head on his shoulder. He managed to finagle his arm around her to pull her close, so her head rested upon his chest. She could feel his heart beating fast in her ear and it echoed throughout her body. It was like they were beating as one, and for her it was odd because she hadn't felt it in so long. She didn't feel safe for a long time, so at the orphanage she seemed to be on constant guard. Matron wasn't as strong as she once was, and Rinoa knew if push came to shove she would protect her children. Thankfully they had a good reputation and they had constant kiddos coming in, but it was always something that weighed on her.

Matron knew it. Which is why she asked Cid for help.

Rinoa felt Squall's head rest on top of hers and she smiled to herself, her eyes connected to the television. She was kind-of watching it, but not as much as she once was when she shoveled a third cupcake in her mouth. She was so focused on being close to him and in that moment, nothing else mattered to her.

She had her Knight.

Rinoa looked up at him and gave him a gentle smile, similar to the first one she ever gave him. Squall smiled faintly in reply before leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. Just like that he was on top of her, his lips traveling down her neck and across her collarbone. Her head rolled back and her eyes closed, relishing in the touch of his oddly soft lips across her skin. She could smell his musk, the faintest smell of sweat, and paperwork that he had left unfinished. He could finally touch her and feel her skin under his rough fingertips. Rinoa giggled slightly at his stubble scratching her neck, and she creaked her neck in response. Squall held her closer and bit down gently on her collarbone, making her open her mouth.

"How did we get here..?" Rinoa asked softly. She wasn't complaining, it was almost as if suddenly she was on her back when she just smiled at him. She was confused but content at the same. Squall kissed her jaw and pulled away to look at her. She was flushed and she ran a hand through her hair before running it through his, scratching his scalp slightly.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Rinoa shook her head, reaching both of her hands forward and pulling Squall into her. Their lips locked and Squall's hands pushed deeper into the couch beside her head. Rinoa gently bit his top lip and grabbed his hair tightly, holding him as close to her as she could. Squall's knee bent between her legs and she locked her legs around it, desiring to be one.

BANG BANG BANG. "Yo Rinoa! Rinoa!"

"Are you fuc-."

"Yeah?!" Rinoa yelled breathlessly, running her own hand through her hair. It was Zell at the door, obviously stressed about something. Squall pulled himself off of Rinoa and made sure he didn't look a mess before opening the door and glaring at Zell.

Zell was gasping for breath as he arrived, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. When he looked up he was met with Squall's icy stare and he coughed slightly.

He took a deep breath, "Selphie's in labor."

* * *

All the friends managed to get to the Infirmary in record time just to hear Selphie release the most blood curdling scream that she could out of her tiny body. The door was closed and the blinds were drawn, but everyone could only imagine how much pain Selphie was in.

Irvine was darting back and forth out of the room; he didn't want Selphie to see how nervous and scared he was. Whenever he did come out, Selphie's contractions had died down and he just needed some kind words of affirmation to get through the labor. Rinoa and Squall followed Zell and were met with Quistis, who seemed nervous yet calm about the entire thing. Zell appeared to be just as anxious as Irvine since he had known Selphie for many years. Squall sat down beside Quistis and jumped slightly when Selphie began to scream again, and the friends could hear Irvine encouraging her.

Rinoa began to pace as Dr. Kadowaki came out, looking at the group with kind eyes. She explained how Selphie's labor is progressing quite quickly, and how she was almost ready to begin pushing. Rinoa knew something was up with Selphie when she had come over earlier, and now in the early hours of the night, everything made sense. She didn't expect labor to go so quick for the tiny woman, but Rinoa had advised her to drink different teas and use herbal supplements.

"When will she begin pushing?" Rinoa asked, her arms crossed as she looked at the doctor. Selphie screamed once again and the friends could hear her sobbing in between screams. Squall cringed everytime Selphie screamed; it brought back memories of the war when she had gotten hurt. But her screams now were so different - it was a level of pain that Squall had never heard before.

Irvine darted out of the room and sighed deeply, looking at Dr. Kadowaki with worried eyes, "Is it going to be over soon? I can't take this."

"It's going to be okay, Irvine," Dr. Kadowaki soothed, putting a hand on the cowboys shoulder. He was met with kind eyes around the room, even Squall, who had so much sympathy for the man. Squall couldn't imagine hearing Rinoa go through that pain, so he could assume how Irvine felt. "She will begin pushing soon."

"IRVINE!" Selphie screamed, leading Irvine to dart back inside the room and leave the door slightly ajar. Rinoa poked her head around and looked at her friend, who was a very deep shade of red in the face and drenched in sweat. Her gown was off of her shoulders because she was so warm, and her legs were bent as if she just wanted to push already. Selphie noticed Rinoa's sweet face and reached her hand out, "Rinoa, please help. Please."

Rinoa didn't miss a beat as she walked into the delivery room with Dr. Kadowaki in tow. She grabbed Selphie's hand and ran her free hand over Selphie's warm forehead. Irvine was holding Selphie's other hand, pressing gentle kisses to her temple. On the table beside him was water, which Rinoa assumed was melted ice chips that Selphie felt too sick to ingest when the labor began. The green-eyed warrior leant her head back on the pillow and looked at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. Rinoa's heart hurt; she could only assume how labor felt, but seeing Selphie so vulnerable made her want to cry herself.

"Selphie, you need to move your legs sweetheart, you're going to start pushing." Dr. Kadowaki explained, pulling the stirrups from the side of the bed. Rinoa and Irvine both moved her feet into the stirrups and kept their eye on the girl. Selphie was breathing deeply with her eyes shut. She was scared.

"I just want my baby girl…" she cried, feeling another contraction coming on, "I just want to hold her."

"You will soon, okay?" Rinoa replied sweetly, running her hand over Selphie's forehead again to smooth her hair back. "You're going to have her so soon."

Irvine watched the two interacting and felt helpless. He didn't know what to do, but he was taught on what to expect in the classes they had taken. It was like everything they had learned such as techniques to get through the pain and how to support Selphie, went right out the window. He also didn't expect things to move so fast, yet here they were.

He was about to be a Dad. Something he had never imagined.

"Okay, Selphie, you ready?" Dr. Kadowaki asked, sitting down in front of the girls legs. "Lola is ready to meet you."

"Just make it stop, please!" Selphie screamed again, swearing as Dr. Kadowaki told her to push. Irvine grabbed the back of Selphie's thigh and her foot as she leant forward, holding back tears as he saw the love of his life in so much pain. Rinoa seemed calm and collected, but she was just as worried about her friend. She was thankful she wanted her here, but also terrified because she only knew so much about the process of birth.

"Push again, sweetie, she's crowning."

"You're almost there," Irvine said calmly, "You're doing great, Selph."

Rinoa chimed in, "You're so great, Selphie, keep going!"

"Fuuuuuu-!" Selphie screamed, leaning forward and pushing for another ten seconds. Rinoa leant forward to see the bloody mess coming from her friend, and at that moment she saw a full head of hair and a tiny head. She smiled and looked at Selphie, who was crying, and she told Selphie how beautiful Lola was already.

Selphie needed it, and gave one last push with all her might. Irvine sighed a deep relief as his daughter came into the world, screaming loud and almost sweetly. Selphie began to cry, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. Little baby Lola was placed on Selphie's stomach, covered in fluid, before Rinoa and Dr. Kadowaki wiped her off. Irvine and Selphie looked at their baby in awe, tears in their eyes. Rinoa looked at the two of them and smiled as Irvine cut Lola's cord and held her in his arms. The sorceress ran her hand through Selphie's hair and smiled, "You did so amazing."

Rinoa stepped out of the delivery room to let the two of them have some time together, smiling as she looked at her friends. She spoke, "She's beautiful and healthy. We can go in in a minute."

The friends sighed a deep breath of relief as the silence came over them. Rinoa sat beside Squall and leant her head on his shoulder. Zell still stood up and paced back and forth, waiting for Dr. Kadowaki to come out of the room. They could hear the four of them chattering in the room and Quistis was trying to hear what was going on.

"Did she do okay?" the blonde asked, leaning forward to look at Rinoa on the other side of Squall. Rinoa nodded happily and smiled.

Dr. Kadowaki came out of the room and left the door open, motioning the friends to go in when they were ready. All of them stood up in unison and followed Quistis into the room.

Irvine and Selphie somehow fit on the tiny bed with their new little one, with Irvine's arm nestled around Selphie's shoulders. The new family smiled at their friends silently and both looked at Lola, who was asleep but making tiny baby noises. They surrounded the bed in support, Squall standing slightly back from them to observe what was happening. Rinoa stepped closer and she looked at the baby, smiling sweetly.

"Can I hold her?" Rinoa asked quietly. Selphie nodded, gently pulling baby Lola from her and carefully handing her to the sorceress. Rinoa cradled Lola in her arms, holding her as close as she could. Baby Lola was tiny, maybe five pounds, but she had these large round eyes that were a bright blue-green and skin so clear. Rinoa's heart stopped as Lola looked up at her and made a small sound, but then nuzzled into her swaddle and closed her eyes. She felt such a love come over her as she rocked Lola back and forth, just staring at awe at the tiny baby.

"She's so perfect…" she trailed off, looking at the new parents. "She came out of you."

"Yeah," Irvine sighed, "And we saw it all."

"You didn't have to!" Selphie sighed loudly, "It hurt so bad, Rinny…but it was so worth it. I mean, how beautiful is she?"

"She's too beautiful," Rinoa smiled, looking over her shoulder at Squall. "Do you want to hold her?"

Squall shook his head back and forth automatically, crossing his arms. The group quietly asked him to in unison as Quistis moved over to the side in her booth. Rinoa pouted at Squall and received a groan.

He had never held a baby before.

"Please?" Rinoa begged, pushing out her bottom lip. "Look, she's just so beautiful."

She walked up to Squall with the baby and stood in front of him, gently swaying from side to side. Squall peered down at the newborn that was only a couple hours old; she was slightly wrinkled from being in fluid for so long and her lips were puckered together. Lola's eyes were closed now as she slept in Rinoa's arms, but Squall could see immediately what little Lola had inherited from Selphie and Irvine. She had Selphie's eyes and small nose, but inherited Irvine's more tan skin tone and cheeks.

Squall sighed, "Yeah...I'll hold her." Rinoa smiled as Squall walked over and sat beside Quistis, who smiled gently at Squall who was visibly nervous. Rinoa walked over with baby Lola and slowly scooted her into Squall's arms. Rinoa made sure his hold was stable, arching up his elbow as he cradled her. Lola opened her eyes briefly and looked up at Squall with her blue-green eyes, and made the faintest smile, before falling back asleep.

The commander sighed in relief as Lola fell back asleep, slowly relaxing himself into holding the baby. The group slowly talked amongst themselves - asking Selphie about the labor, asking Irvine how gruesome it was, and how soon they would be going home. Rinoa offered to stay with them for the first few days once she returned with the kids from the orphanage, but all Squall could see was this tiny baby in his large, chiseled arms.

He thought about Rinoa and looked up at her, watching her so happy as her head darted from Selphie to him. She smiled at him briefly and returned to the conversation, and for a moment Squall pictured himself as a father but slightly less terrified.

It was something he never wanted. He never wanted to be here, holding a child and feeling the sensations he was, and yet it was real. Baby Lola somehow had a spot in his heart already when everyone else in this room had to work for it. He didn't understand and tried not to analyze it, but he assumed that this was what it was like when you had a child of your own.

He didn't know how to be a father, or a dad. He knew what it meant when you fathered a child but not how to properly execute it. For someone that had a plan for everything, it terrified him that there was no plan for parenting. There was the best case scenario and the worst case, but nothing in between and it scared him. It scared him that he would not know what to do if Rinoa was in pain, or if the baby was sick and couldn't tell him or her. He knew Rinoa did, but he felt less of a man not knowing what to do.

And that's when it clicked.

Who did know how to be a parent unless they are thrown into it? Perhaps it is okay to not know.

Perhaps it is enough to just love the child and make sure they know you love him.

Still, the idea made him scared.

"Squall?"

Squall's head shot up from looking at Lola and looked around the room. Rinoa smiled sweetly at him as she squatted down in front of him, "We are going to let them rest and will come back in the morning."

The commander nodded and let Rinoa take the baby from his arms and hand him back to Selphie. Selphie smiled at Squall as the four friends left the new family to settle. They all walked in a line with Squall and Rinoa in the middle. Quistis looked at the two with their interlocked fingers and smiled to herself, looking down.

"All well?" She asked, looking at them. Rinoa smiled, almost embarrassed, and nodded.

"We are working on things," Squall replied, opening up to his friends. "One day at a time, I guess."

"And yesterday was a good day," Zell smirked, smiling at the two as they turned left into the dormitories, "Right?"

"Yes, Zell, it was a good day," Rinoa groaned, walking behind him as they arrived to Rinoa's suite. "And have a good rest."

"You too, Rinoa. Sleep well, Squall." Quistis called, taking a turn for her room with Zell. Rinoa opened her suite door and walked through with Squall in tow before clicking the door shut behind them. Squall pulled off his shirt and threw it over his shoulder before taking Rinoa's hand and leading her into the bedroom. He laid her in bed and tucked her in before pulling the sheet up on his side of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Rinoa asked, tilting her head to the side, "Aren't you coming back to sleep?"

Squall shook his head as he stood in the doorway to the bathroom, "I'm awake now. I'm just going to shower."

"...Can you come back..?" Rinoa asked, with a gently wink as she snuggled down in the covers.

Squall blushed and leaned against the frame, looking down at his feet, "You want me to?"

He noticed Rinoa nodding as she rustled beneath the covers, before her pajama pants fell from beneath the sheets. She muttered a please before Squall finally wandered towards her and knelt onto the bed, swinging his other leg over her. He grabbed the covers almost roughly and pulled them down, revealing her flushed face. She moved up and extended her arms out to clasp her hands behind his neck, pulling him down into her.

"Promise me you'll stay…" Rinoa whispered, her lips almost touching his. She kissed him gently and pulled away, running her fingers over his muscular back. Squall shuddered into her touch and leaned into her hungrily but she pulled away, smirking. "Promise." She demanded, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I promise."

* * *

She wondered if she should pack her belongings and she stared at her suitcase for what seemed like an eternity. Packing her things to ultimately end up coming back seemed futile, but at the same time she thought about a multitude of situations that could happen: the funding could be pulled, he could possibly not want her here anymore...he could change his mind. All of the memories they had built the past couple of days could be flushed down the drain. She knew none of them would happen - that Balamb had her back and so didn't her knight - but she did not want to be completely ignorant to the way the universe works. So many factors are out of her control that it terrifies her, but there is also a calmness that comes with it. During the war so many things were out of the groups control but at the end of the day they had each other.

Was that all she ever needed?

Was all she ever needed Selphie, Zell, Quistis, Irvine and Squall?

She reflected on her life before. Bouncing around Timber in her blue duster with the angel wings on the back for her mother. How she was a force to be reckoned with and everyone knew it. Everyone knew about the sixteen year old Rinoa Heartilly, daughter of General Caraway of Galbadia and Julia Heartilly, who uprooted her privileged life to fight for those less fortunate. They knew her as the kindhearted, spunky raven-haired girl that would buy a dinner for the orphan on the corner of the street even if it meant she would not eat that night herself. She had Zone and Watts. She had her best companions and they still stand by her side until this day, but the connection with the others were different.

Rinoa vibed differently with each member of the six friends. Selphie brought up her energy and her spirit with her capacity to always see the good in things that weren't so good. Irvine made her laugh during the moments that were not funny at the slightest. Quistis brought her down to earth and examine the truth that was in front of her. And Zell ignited the fire within her to fight and was always there when she needed some midnight drinks and food.

And Squall. Squall was different.

Squall renewed her soul and challenged her mind. He opened her heart and poured gasoline on the flames when they were nearly burned out. He pushed her because he knew just how strong she was. He loved her regardless of how seemingly chaotic her mind and heart ever got. Squall protected her, shielded her, and lead her to the light that she always needed.

And she was scared that it was just going to be gone just when she found it again.

The love, the support. The friendship and camaraderie.

It all laid in the suitcase at her feet.

Rinoa knew she was overthinking it but she could not help it. Seeing Selphie and Irvine become parents, knowing Quistis was finally in a relationship and Zell was in a position to eat as many hot dogs as he damn well pleased, was soothing to her. Knowing that Squall was soundly asleep in the bed behind her was the divine solitude she needed during the past four years. She needed her friends more than she would care to admit.

She didn't want to lose it all over again.

The SeeD ship was arriving in three hours and her items still cluttered the floor. The sun hadn't risen yet and the sky was still dark; it was her and Matron's hope that if the ship came later at night that the children would sleep on the way, but Rinoa knew that uprooting children with an already traumatic past wasn't going to be easy in the slightest. If worse came to worst, Rinoa could cast a sleep spell on the children and deal with the after-effects once they wake, but that was a route she nor Matron wanted to take. She hoped and prayed that it would not come down to that but knew it was a possibility.

Squall knew she was leaving and had set an alarm for any time now. She waited for his phone to go off and time was passing too slowly. Rinoa wanted to wake him up but knew that he didn't sleep enough as it is. So she sat with her back against the foot of the bed, listening to his gentle snoring, and tilted her head to hit the wooden footboard. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and hummed gently her mother's song.

Behind her Squall's phone finally went off. Rinoa heard him groan loudly as he sleepily reached and grabbed his phone, hitting the snooze button. He would have pushed it more if Rinoa wasn't in the room, but he could sense her worried energy. Squall sit up and ran his hand through his bedhead, looking around for his partner before finally seeing the top of her head at the foot of the bed. Tilting his head to the side, he pushed himself up on his knees and crawled forward slightly. Rinoa looked up with her brown eyes to her knight and smiled gently.

"Good morning," she muttered, standing up slowly from her seated position and pressing a kiss to Squall's cold nose. "I'm just packing."

Squall groaned and sat on the edge of the bed to which Rinoa plopped herself down beside him, "Aren't you supposed to be done by now? The ship will be here soon."

Rinoa was honest. She told him she felt like packing was pointless just to come back. Matron had been packing the things for the children since Rinoa left so things just had to be packed up and put on the ship. The SeeD's would do most of the handy work and Rinoa and Matron would take care of the children.

It was a perfect set up.

"If that's how you feel, then don't pack. You know I will be here."

It was soothing to her to hear that, just to have the reassurance that she needed without even her telling him. He could see right through her facade and knew inside she was battling, but didn't bring it up and just let her come to him.

"Cid and I gave you the best SeeD's we have, so everything will go well. I would go if I didn't have to take care of some of the things for the orphanage here."

Rinoa nodded and understood, grabbing some clean clothes that were scattered in with the dirty ones. She began to get changed in front of him, stripping off her pajamas and putting on her bra, underwear, jeans and sweater. Squall sat back and just marveled in how beautiful she was - every inch and centimeter of her skin begged for him to hold her, but he didn't.

She sat down beside Squall and put on a pair of his socks and grabbed her boots at the foot of the bed. Squall placed his arm behind her and kissed her cheek, making her smile in response.

"You're doing something great here, Rin. Bringing these children here. You should be proud."

She was proud. This was the most proud she had ever felt in a long time - since she had come back from the war with her friends, since she had cornered President Deiling in his car, since she had left the grasp of her father to do something for the better good. However this kind of proud felt different to her; like it was simply her duty to care for these children and do whatever she could to protect them. It was in her nature to do something like this, so she felt like it wasn't something to be proud of.

It was who she was as a person.

Rinoa kissed Squall goodbye and went on her way moments later, meeting the SeeD's Squall had assigned at the dock and boarded the ship. Squall was left in solitude for the first time in seemingly forever and he didn't know what to do with himself. He went to work as usual, but found himself fingering piles of paperwork in front of him and not knowing what to do with it. He knew what to do - to sign things, read things, put things off to the side that didn't matter as much. But she was on his mind again...her eyes weren't leaving him...like an incurable sickness.

He thought to himself if she had gotten there safe and if things were going to go smoothly. He didn't want to call or message her to take time away from something she loved. Squall loved her too much to bother her and that was much of his thought for the past four years - don't bother her, she's doing what she loves.

Quistis told him one time that if you love someone you let them go, but to him it seemed counterproductive. If you love someone wouldn't you want to be with them for eternity? Wouldn't you want to be with them all the time and relish in their presence? This statement didn't make sense and Squall just took it with a grain of salt when she had originally said it, but reflecting on how the past couple of days had gone for both him and Rinoa, the sentence Squall knew was something Quistis said to soothe his aching heart.

Squall loved her more than he would let on in the past. He would still be cold, silent, would talk about his day without much detail. When Rinoa left, he knew that he wanted to change for her more than he had in the past. He wanted to tell her more, be with her more...with her, he knew he was safe. That's why he told her the truth about having children: how he was scared because he never had a father. He put his walls up when the conversation came up in fear of losing the one thing he had loved in his life, but had lost it instead. And he was crushed.

"Sir," he heard. Squall turned his head to the speakerphone that was used to radio call. Xu was on the other side as she did her rounds around the Garden. She was still Headmaster Cid's right hand woman aside from Matron, but she frequently checked in with Squall about various SeeD missions. She continued and told him that the SeeD ship had arrived safely and would be disembarking from the continent for the return within the next hour.

Now that he knew Rinoa was safe, he could finally finish his coffee and breakfast sandwich that was now cold. He ate it far too quick and it collected gas in his stomach, which made him burp as he jumped at the knocking at his door.

"What?" he coughed, pounding his chest to let the exess air escape. He coughed and looked up, seeing Quistis standing there with a gentle smile on her face. The blonde closed the door behind her and walked towards Squall. He noticed she had a hot coffee in her hand that she placed gently on his desk beside the ice cold one.

"Sorry, just wanted to bring you this. I figured you were going to be too much in your head to eat."

 _She really knows me too well to make me feel comfortable, sometimes_ he thought. He nodded in thanks before reaching forward for the scalding liquid, bringing it to his lips. It was black, but with one sugar. He noticed she had grabbed the french vanilla flavored coffee and was thankful for her knowing him in that moment.

"Rinoa will be back in a couple hours, and the facility delivering the stuff for the daycare is here. Zell and I are handling it but we thought you may want to see what's coming in.." Quistis trailed off and looked at the mess of a desk that was in front of Squall, "Besides, it's not like the paperwork looks...fun."

Squall scoffed and nodded, holding his coffee firmly in his hand while he pushed in the chair with the other. He followed Quistis out of his office and down the elevator to the main floor, seeing several large men bringing in various furniture, boxes, and large play things for children. The men nodded at the commander as they saw him, proceeding to the elevator to fit in as much as they could. One gentleman which appeared to be in his late forties approached Squall with a clipboard for him to sign, which he did silently. The man thanked him and went on his way back to his truck.

Squall and Quistis caught the next elevator down and were in awe as they saw the new bottom level: it was clean, with large gray walls that somehow managed to touch the ceiling. There were tile floors on the bottom that must have been placed on top of the metal that were clean and lacquered. Quistis wondered how long this took but then Squall looked at her and said, "Matron asked us for this months ago. So Cid began the process before Rinoa got here to propose it. There are two floors."

Quistis nodded and began to walk around the area. Through the bottom play area where things were beginning to be set up to the top where there were multiple cribs, toddler beds, and beds for teenagers if need be. There was also a small dining area for the workers that was set up with a small fridge, stove, and more to cook for the children. Squall could tell Quistis was in heaven before Zell approached him and clasped his hand on Squall's shoulder with a sigh, "Man those cribs are heavy. I put a lot of them together."

Squall chuckled, "You practiced it with Lola's. I know Irvine couldn't put that together."

Zell nodded and sighed as more furniture came in - couches, boxes of toys, carpets and rocking chairs. Squall thought he would have to hire approximate ten SeeD's, maybe more, to fully occupy the area. He had already structured a schedule that would work for four people at a time, possibly five. And Squall knew everything was going to go smoothly with Rinoa running it.

Matron would step down soon and spend time with Cid.

And then when Cid retired, finally, he knew Garden would be his to inherit.

"When will Rin be back?" Zell asked, grabbing another box from one of the delivery men and putting it down at Squall's feet. Squall knelt down beside Zell and began taking out children's toys. He looked at them and remembered the ones he used to play with: wooden blocks and hammers, baby dolls that Seifer laughed at him for, and puzzles that had broken pegs. These toys were nice. They were clean and shining, the baby dolls were lifelike and the puzzles were still wrapped in plastic. He was envious for a little bit as he paced back and forth to place the toys in the designated toy box. He never had anything growing up and now he had come so far.

Squall had everything. He had a job with authority, was ranked the best SeeD in Balamb Garden, was known world-wide…

And he had Rinoa.

He sighed, _I guess I have good friends too…_

Quistis came down the stairs from the upstairs bedrooms and smiled, saying how amazing everything looked. She went on about how she liked the different toddler, infant and child sections and how the rooms were clean and simple. Quistis especially liked the large bookcase that leant beside the stairs, and mentioned how reading at an early age increases intellectual capability in children. Zell and Quistis engaged in conversation together as Squall looked around and then decided to go upstairs.

He came to the child room first - that was large enough to fit several beds but currently only had four. There were tiny nightstands and cute little lamps with animals on them. There were stuffed animals and bright bedding, and it smelled like lavender. The toddler room waa a little different - instead of regular beds the beds had bars on the side which Squall assumed was to make sure the children didn't roll out of them.

The infant room was where Squall seemed most curious. There were cribs and bassinets, and very faint colors painted on the walls. He noticed the gentle carpet that rolled through the upstairs area but this room had another carpet laid upon it. It had gentle swirls of pink and blue and yellow, and he thought of Rinoa, Quistis and Selphie in that moment. He thought of how Selphie's Lola would love this area, and how Quistis already did. Most of all, he thought of Rinoa and how impressed she would be that this area was much better than the one that the children had previously.

He walked forward slowly, feeling like he was going to damage something somehow. A bassinette was before him with yellow bedding and no blanket, but a small stuffed angel was sitting against the head of it. Squall picked it up and held it in his hand, almost examining it for something that may hurt a small baby near it. There was nothing; it was soft and would probably be removed when the baby was in it to sleep. He held onto it as he inspected the following areas. The bathrooms were pristine, the play area was perfect, and the kitchen had a small instant coffee maker that Squall wanted for himself. The stuffed angel he tucked in his belt before he walked to the elevator and took it up.

The unpacking was done. Now it was time to wait.

He paced around Balamb Garden with the tiny angel stuffed in his belt. He walked around Garden probably five times before Xu went over the intercom to ask 'Commander Leonhart report to the front entrance.' His heart soared as he jogged to the front of Garden, slowing down to make sure he didn't look desperate to see Rinoa again. SeeD's nodded at him as they passed him, but did a double take to look at the stuffed toy in his belt.

He heard baby noises and children talking as he got closer. He heard Matron's voice soothing a crying baby, but nothing from Rinoa. Squall got worried as he approached as he didn't see his angel immediately, but noticed her standing off to the side, looking exhausted, holding a tiny baby.

She rocked back and forth horizontally as she held what Squall assumed was a teether. The baby in her arms was whining and reached out to grab her hand. Rinoa was in her own world as he approached, and he was startled as three children ran up to him and grabbed his leg.

"Hi! What's your name?"

"Hi there!"

"Who are YOU?!"

Squall was overwhelmed and immediately consumed by the children. They didn't care about how pressed his uniform was or how tall he was, they just wanted to know who this guy was and how they could get him to look at them. His icy, blue eyes darted from child to child - two boys and one girl - that looked at him excited and very interested. Squall coughed as Matron waltzed between the children and hugged him gently. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and stood beside him as Rinoa kept watch of the three toddlers that managed to somehow get their hands dirty with no dirt around.

"Ava, Damien, Eli, this is my friend Commander Leonhart. He is helping us move."

"Really?!"

"Wow!"

"Where are we going?"

Rinoa held onto the baby in her arms as she gently took a toddlers hand away from a sharp brick in the wall. The Commander saw her gliding between the children with such ease, muttering things like "no thank you" and "please, we use nice hands." A small baby, perhaps five months old, was cradled in her arms as she moved about. To Squall, this was daring holding such a small baby as you move around, but to Rinoa it was a force of habit.

"Hello! Where are we going?" Little Ava was stern, perhaps six or so years old, and looked up at Squall with large brown eyes. She seemed to be very persistent and strong, and Squall admired it about her immediately. He bent down on one knee and looked at Ava with as gentle of a face as he could muster. Eli and Damien surrounded her like bodyguards - Damien with his raven hair and tanned skin and Eli who was fair, blonde, and had bright blue eyes. They looked curious too.

Squall could tell who the ring leader was.

"This is Balamb Garden, and you all are going to live somewhere very nice. We have a lot of people here so you'll never be lonely…" he wondered what else to say. Does he say until they find homes? Is it guaranteed that they will? He remembered the hope he had lost that his parents would someday come back for him. Ultimately that day never came, so he decided not to install any false hope in their precious souls. "And we have food."

He didn't know what else to add.

Kids like food, right?

"Like chicken nuggets?! Rinny-oh-nah, do they make chicken nuggets like you?!" Eli exclaimed, turning back and looking at Rinoa. She nodded absent-mindely, now saying something about "not putting your hands in someones pants."

Squall was watching here completely be emerged in her work and he honestly thought it was the most attractive thing about her in that moment. Her hair was now a mess although it was in a half-bun earlier, and there was a small stain of what used to be baby vomit on her shoulder. He loved how she looked and he never wanted to look away.

"Commander, why do you keep looking at Rinny?" Ava asked curiously, sweetly batting her full eyelashes. "Do you loooooooove her?"

Matron giggled and motioned Squall to get up by gently patting his shoulder. She glided towards Rinoa and picked up two of the toddlers and putting them in a dual stroller. Rinoa managed to wrangle one onto her hip and Matron picked up the remaining two, motioning the SeeD's that had managed to finally arrive back to Garden to push the carriage. There were two other babies, perhaps six and nine months old, in carriers. Matron grabbed one and motioned Squall to grab the other.

He did it nervously, but was encouraged by a gently smiling Rinoa whose hair was being pulled on.

"Follow me," Squall said, motioning with his free hand to the three kids, "Let's see where you're going to live."

The children listened well and followed behind Squall. Matron and Rinoa stood behind him with the remaining orphans in tow, and one male SeeD member scoured the area to look for anyone that may spot him pushing a baby carriage. They walked through the outdoor area and into the main hall of Garden, to which Eli, Damien and Ava were astounded to see.

"Wow!" Eli exclaimed, "This is like a castle!"

Squall chuckled to himself and walked towards the stairs. He turned around and looked at the strollers confused.

"Um…"

"Just go up backwards," Rinoa instructed the SeeD member, "One step at a time."

"Isn't that like...not safe?" the SeeD member asked, running his hand through his dyed-brown hair.

Rinoa shook her head and sighed, "Just do it gently. Max is pretty resilient. He hits his head a lot. And Genesis is completely unaware of things most of the time."

Matron laughed and walked closer to Squall, letting Rinoa guide the SeeD member as she held two children herself. Squall began to walk up the stairs and after taking two steps, he pointed to the railing.

"Hold onto the railing. I don't want you to fall."

The three friends held onto the railing as instructed and followed Squall into the elevator. With Matron, Rinoa, and the cadet in the lift, Squall pressed the bottom button as the doors clasped shut.

Ava, Eli, and Damien were in awe of the Garden and how it was "magic." They were even more excited as the doors opened and revealed their new home. The three of them stood on the top of the stairs for a few minutes, saying how cool it is to have somewhere bigger and then they saw the toys and ran off. Zell and Quistis smiled and waved before being greeted by the children similarly to the way Squall was.

Matron put down the carrier and helped the cadet down the stairs before Rinoa set down one toddler at the base and letting him wobble off to play. Max and Genesis were pulled from the stroller and set down as well, followed by the babies in the carriers.

Rinoa, however, did not put down the baby boy in her arms. She did try but was met with a loud scream that made Squall wince but Rinoa didn't bat an eye. She simply kissed the baby's forehead and pulled the teether from her pocket and popped it into his mouth.

Squall instructed the cadet to show Rinoa and Matron around.

Zell and Quistis bounced around with the children with ease, which was funny for Squall to see since Quistis is always so serious. Zell was less of a surprise to him but he envied the two. He knew he wasn't good with kids; he was Squall Leonhart. Cold, somewhat collected, serous Squall. He thought too much and when he did he overthought everything. He was closed off and didn't let anyone in and he wondered what these children thought of him. Squall thought it was because he was someone new, but also wondered if they felt comfortable enough to approach him. He didn't know anything about children or how they develop, but he knew as a kid who was an orphan that he did not approach just anyone.

He didn't want to get close to anyone because he was scared they would leave.

And one of them did.

"Hey you!" Damien yelled, running forward towards Squall. He had a baby doll in his hand and pushed it forward with his tiny arms, aiming up at the Commander. "It's broken!"

"Oh," Squall knelt down and took the toy, examining it himself. He didn't know anything about children's toys either. All he knew was that everything was supposed to be new and working; he was slightly irritated that this one didn't.

He noticed a small button at the bottom of the doll's feet so he pushed it. At that moment the doll came to life and began crying, to which Damien was elated for. He squealed with joy before running to Quistis and showing her the new doll that now works.

Squall wondered if Quistis made him go ask her.

He heard Rinoa giggle behind him as she approached him from the side, holding the baby who was fully aware of what was going on, "They like you." she stated.

"Do they..?" Squall questioned, turning his body fully towards the Sorceress. He saw Rinoa nod and then look down at the baby in her arms, who was staring at Squall with hazel eyes. He had olive skin with some dry flaky skin on his scalp and some scrapes on his nose and cheek. Squall noticed what looked like mittens on his hands that matched his onesie, that was a dark blue striped pattern. The baby had thin, dark hair and was biting down almost too forcibly for him to be comfortable with alone.

"This is Theo," she began, looking down at him, "He's almost five months old. We got him when he was released from the hospital...he was born two months early." Rinoa sighed sadly, keeping her eyes on the baby whose eyes were on Squall, "His parents left him there. I guess they just...left. So they brought him to us."

Squall's heart sank deep into his chest: at least his father dropped him off to Matron and tried to come back. Alas, he never did due to his position in Esthar, but Squall knew now that Laguna had the best intentions at heart. For little Theo, it was different. He wasn't wanted, and he was absolutely adorable. Squall could tell he was very attached to Rinoa; he clung to her as Squall inched closer to look at the baby.

"And yes," Rinoa continued, looking at the three friends playing with Quistis and Zell, "They do like you. They weren't so shy with the other SeeD members you sent...they kept sticking out their tongues and making faces at them."

Squall chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, looking at Rinoa kindly. Theo still had his eyes on Squall, almost staring right through him and asking him "who are you?" And Rinoa was trying to gauge Squall's next move: was he going to hold Theo? Or at least attempt? Was he going to kiss her? Say he's proud of her?

The Commander looked at his surroundings and took them in: the children playing happily, the toddlers trying to not crash into things, the babies on their stomachs crawling around and getting into trouble. Quistis and Zell seemed like they were having the time of their lives and Rinoa was in baby heaven. Squall loved how Rinoa looked with a baby nestled in her arms, who was now gently falling asleep and feeling safe enough to do so. He knew that the next floor up, Selphie and Irvine were probably trying to get Lola to sleep which was a battle within itself. If they could have been here, they would have, but he understood that the next four years were going to be different for all of them.

Perhaps him and Rinoa would be married, or maybe Quistis or Zell. Irvine and Selphie thought marriage was silly so they had promise rings. Rinoa said eight years ago that the future has no guarantees, and she still stood by that statement. But one thing for sure in Squall's mind was that somehow the universe had brought the two of them back together for a reason.

And it was a good one.

"Hey Squall?" Rinoa asked, interrupting Squall's train of thought. "Did you ever love anyone after me?"

"What?" he replied, almost shocked, "What kind of question is that?"

The Sorceress shrugged and looked down at baby Theo, "We were separated for a while. Like, not together. I wouldn't be surprised if you dated someone else."

"Did you?"

"No!"

"Then that's my answer," Squall began, leaning in close to Rinoa for all the children and adults to see. They weren't neccessarily paying attention but it was a bold move for Commander Leonhart, "I loved you four years ago, and I loved you for years before that. Don't ask stupid questions."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Yeah but that's like...eight years ago. Do you love me now?"

"Now? No, I don't."

"Meanie!"

The Commander chuckled and leaned in to kiss Rinoa's cheek. Out of his line of vision he heard the "Oooooooooooh" from the three children, who began giggling at the sight of Rinny-Oh-Nah and Commander Leonhart sharing a moment. Quistis was smiling gently and corralled the children - and Zell - into playing a game of Simon Says.

"Four years from now, I hope things are different…" Rinoa began quietly, "That these children have homes, or are at least safe here. That we are happy, and Lola grows to be big and strong…"

"It'll happen."

"How do you know?" She inquired. Rinoa was met with a shrug from Squall before he turned to look at her once more. He smiled gently, and simply replied:

"Because I have you."

* * *

 **Authors Note:** CornyCornyCorny. I am sorry if the ending seemed rushed. As per usual, I leave things to the very last minute and I am boarding a plane iiiiiiiiiiiin eight hours to go to DragonCon! Also my best friend lives down there, so there's that too.

Shout out to Emerald-Latias for once again pulling off yet ANOTHER year of The Successor Challenge! I wish I allowed myself more time this year but I can't wait for next year. Until then, peace out cub scouts!


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